Tradition and Modernity in Southeast Asia (Fall 2018) Acadia University

Instructor: Jeffrey Sachs HIST 2253 [email protected] Office Hours: Thurs. 1:00-3:00pm Lecture: M/W/F 12:30-1:30 Office Location: BAC 450 Location: BAC 237

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq Nation.

This course introduces students to the history of modern Southeast Asia, a region that includes the modern countries of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and East Timor. Most global histories tend to ignore or marginalize these countries, choosing to focus instead on neighboring India, China, or Japan. Big mistake. Southeast Asia is a region of incredible complexity and internal diversity, a space where Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Confucianism, and animism all jostle side by side. Peasant movements and communists have both found fertile soil there, but so have global capitalism and international finance. And just a short car drive separates remote hill villages from some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world.

This kind of diversity goes back a long way in Southeast Asia, but something important did happen around the year 1700. Whatever that “something” was, it set in motion a series of profound transformations that continue to shape the region to this day. And that’s what this course is designed to explore. Major themes include colonialism, nationalism, capitalism and trade, class and religious identity, gender and sexuality, artistic and material culture, violence, industrialization, democracy, and the persistence of authoritarianism. Along the way, we will consider the ways that the history of modern Southeast Asia reflects developments in global history – as well as all the ways in which it does not.

By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the major events, themes, and dynamics of modern Southeast Asian history. Moreover, students will have a better understanding of how contemporary Southeast Asia – a region of extreme wealth and dire poverty, of flourishing democracies and persistent violence, and above all a place where more than half a billion ordinary people live their lives – came to be.

Course Objectives: • To explore the major events, themes, and dynamics of modern Southeast Asian history; • To better understand the role of contemporary Southeast Asia in current events; • To draw connections between Southeast Asia and global history;

Required Texts: • Owen, Norman G. ed. 2005. The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia: A New History. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press. • Additional readings will be posted on ACORN.

Course Assignment % of Final Due Date Grade Attendance/Participation 10% n/a Map Quiz 10% September 21st Midterm 25% October 10th In-Class Presentation 20% rolling Final Exam 35% December 3rd

Attendance/Participation: Your participation grade will be based on your contribution to classroom discussion. Participation is about more than just summarizing the week’s assigned readings. Instead, you will need to critically engage with the material under discussion, demonstrating that you have read it and considered carefully its implications for our understanding of Southeast Asian history.

Map Quiz: This brief quiz will test your knowledge of basic Southeast Asian geography. A study guide is available on ACORN and will include a list of place names (i.e. countries, capitals, rivers, etc.) from which the questions on the quiz will be drawn.

Midterm: A mix of multiple choice and short-answer questions encompassing all material (lecture and readings) covered up to that point in the course.

In-Class Presentation: You and one other student will deliver an in-class presentation (approx. 15min) on a topic related to modern Southeast Asian history. Choose a topic from the list below and pair it with any Southeast Asian country. Drawing on original research, analyze that topic in relation to your country. Presentations will take place on the Friday of each week.

Presentation Topics

• Feminist movements • Peasant life • Authoritarianism • Science and technology • Globalization • Democratization • The Cold War • Colonialism • Revolution • LGBTQ issues • Arts and literature • Religion

Final Exam: A mix of short-answer and essay questions encompassing all material (lecture and readings) covered in the course.

2 COURSE POLICIES

Late Penalties Late assignments will receive a 3% deduction per day, including weekends. The Acadia Calendar states that “No credit is given for a course unless all requirements for it have been completed.”

Accessible Learning Services If you are a student with documentation for accommodations who anticipates needing supports or accommodations, please contact Dr. Abu Kamara, Coordinator, Accessible Learning Services at 902-585-1291, [email protected] or Marissa McIsaac, Accessibility Officer at 902-585- 1520, [email protected]. Accessible Learning Services is located in Rhodes Hall.

Missed Tests In the event that you miss one of the scheduled in-class tests due to a properly documented illness or personal emergency, the opportunity to take the quiz at a later date will be provided. In all other cases, students will receive a mark of 0% for that test.

Academic Support The Library provides books and journal articles that can improve your assignments, labs, and papers. Visit the library at http://library.acadiau.ca.

Academic Integrity I refer you to the section “Academic Integrity” to be found on p. 58 in the “Academic Policy and Regulations” section of the Acadia University Calendar, 2018-2019. You must be familiar with these guidelines to be enrolled in this course.

Plagiarism is also viewed seriously by the Department of History and Classics: it is departmental policy that plagiarized work will receive a grade of F (zero), with no departmental appeal possible. In especially bad cases more severe penalties, including a course grade of F (zero) and/or a recommendation for expulsion from the university, are possible. If the transgression warrants it, I will not hesitate to seek the application of such a penalty. Please note that under no circumstances will I tolerate a breach of academic integrity: transgressions such as cheating, plagiarism, or actively aiding another student in such an act will result in -- at the very least -- a grade of zero on the offending assignment.

Process of Grade Appeal If you are unsure about a grade assessment, it is recommended that you wait 24 hours and then contact the instructor to discuss your concerns. If you remain dissatisfied after this meeting, you may submit the assignment, along with a one-page note explaining your concerns, for reassessment.

Communicating with the Instructor I encourage students to ask lots of questions. When we are not in class, the best place to discuss course materials is during office hours. You are also welcome to contact me by email, however, this should be reserved for quick, easy to answer questions (like points of information or

3 scheduling a meeting time). I will normally respond to your email within 24 hours.

ACORN This course requires that you have access to the ACORN site for HIST 2253. The site will give you access to the course syllabus, guidelines for course assignments, important course announcements, and PowerPoint slides from course lectures. Use the ACORN version of the syllabus to click on the hyperlinked assigned readings.

Course Schedule

Section 1: Pre-modern and 1700-1900 Week 1 (Sept. 5 & 7): Introduction to region; pre-modern Southeast Asia • Owens, “Inner Life and Identity,” pp. 35-51.

Week 2 (Sept. 10, 12, & 14): Mapping the Terrain • Owens, “The Struggle for Political Authority,” pp. 52-71. • Owens, “Dynasties and Colonies, Boundaries and Frontiers,” pp. 75-82. Primary Sources: • Ibn Battuta, The Adventures of Ibn Battuta (c.1300s). [ACORN] • Zhou Daguan, “The Customs of Cambodia” (c.1297). [ACORN]

Week 3 (Sept. 17, 19, & 21): The Moment of Colonization [MAP QUIZ] • Owens, “Myanmar Becomes British Burma,” pp. 83-92. • Owens, “Realignments: The Making of the Netherlands East Indies,” pp. 123-136. • Owens, “The Malay Negeri of the Peninsula and Borneo,” pp. 137-146. Primary Source: • Kartini. “Give the Javanese Education!” (1903). [ACORN]

Week 4 (Sept. 24, 26, & 28): Colonial State-Building • Owens, “Siam: From Ayutthaya to Bangkok,” pp. 93-105. • Owens, “Globalization and Economic Change,” pp. 161-179. • Owens, “Consolidation of Colonial Power and Centralization of State Authority,” pp. 201-221. Primary Sources: • Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant,” (1936). [ACORN]

Week 5 (Oct. 1, 3, & 5): Nationalism and Identity • Owens, “Perceptions of Race, Gender, and Class,” pp. 243-251. • Owens, “Siam Becomes Thailand: 1910-1973,” pp. 350-360. • Anderson, “Census, Map, Museum”. [ACORN]

Week 6 (Oct. 10 & 12): Southeast Asia at War [MIDTERM] • Owens, “Depression and War,” pp. 268-279.

Week 7 (Oct. 15, 17, & 19): Pathways to Independence • Owens, “The Philippines, 1896-1972,” pp. 283-295. • Owens, “Vietnam, 1885-1975,” pp. 335-349. • Owens, “Cambodia, 1884-1875,” pp. 361-370. Primary Source: • Beveridge, “On the War in the Philippines,” (1900). [ACORN]

Week 8 (Oct. 22, 24, & 26): States of Emergency • Owens, “Becoming Indonesia, 1900-1959,” pp. 296-311. • Owens, “British Malaya,” pp. 312-321.

Section III: 1970s to present Week 9 (Oct. 29, 31, & Nov. 2): Dealing with Prosperity • Owens, “Industrialization and Its Implications,” pp. 379-398. • Owens, “Malaysia since 1957,” pp. 414-421. • Owens, “Singapore and Brunei,” pp. 422-430.

Week 10 (Nov. 5, 7, & 9): New Identities • Owens, “Human Consequences of the Economic ‘Miracle’,” pp. 399-413. • Owens, “Indonesia: The First Fifty Years,” pp. 431-447. • Owens, “The Kingdom of Thailand,” pp. 448-454. • Film: “The Act of Killing,” (2012).

Week 11 (Nov. 12, 14, & 16): No class

Week 12 (Nov. 19, 21, & 23): Challenges of Leadership • Owens, “The Philippines since 1972,” pp. 455-467. • Owens, “Vietnam after 1975: From Collectivism to Market Leninism,” pp. 468-480. • Chen, “When a populist demagogue takes power,” New Yorker 2016.

Week 13 (Nov. 26, 28, & 30): After the Revolution • Owens, “Cambodia since 1975,” pp. 481-491. • Owens, “Laos since 1975,” pp. 492-496.

5 • Owens, “Burma Becomes Myanmar,” pp. 497-506. • Albert, “The Rohingya Crisis,” Council on Foreign Relations 2018.

Week 14 (Dec. 3 & 5): REVIEW AND FINAL EXAM