HSY2710

The island world of Southeast Asia

Proposed to be offered next in 1999

Jane Drakard

8 points
* Two lectures and one tutorial per week
* First semester
* Clayton
* Prerequisites: a first-year sequence in history or Indonesian/Malay

Objectives Students undertaking this subject will be expected to familiarise themselves with the major developments in island Southeast Asian history before the end of the nineteenth century. Students will also be encouraged to think critically about several key themes, including the relationship between religion and political power, the construction of cultural identity, western intrusion and the relative values embodied in the western language and local documents studied in the subject.

Synopsis The island world of Southeast Asia encompasses the region now defined by the modern states of Malaysia and Indonesia. The subject will explore cultural, political and economic change within this region from the early kingdoms to the beginning of the nineteenth century. A major theme will be the development of two local cultural and political patterns, those of the Javanese and Malay worlds. Topics will include religious change, the nature of political authority and the character of links between localities and centres of power within the region. These issues contribute to an understanding of modern Indonesia and Malaysia.

Assessment Document exercise and two essays (total 5000 words): 75%
* Examination (1 hour): 25%
* Students may submit a 1000-word essay in place of the examination.

Recommended texts

Legge J D Indonesia 3rd edn, Prentice-Hall, 1980
Reid A Southeast Asia in the age of commerce vol. 1, Yale U P, 1988
Wolters O W History, culture and region in Southeast Asian perspectives ISEAS, 1982