History of Modern Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is remarkable for its linguistic, cultural, social, and religious diversity, and is often called the “crossroads of the world.” This course introduces students to the key historical themes in the history of Southeast Asia as a region from the eighteenth century to the present, while exploring the national political narratives of its largest countries—Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Burma. Particular attention will be paid to the following topics: the coherence of Southeast Asia as a discrete historical region; European imperialism and the growth of colonial capitalism; the emergence of anti–colonial movements including nationalism and communism; World War II and Japanese occupation; the Vietnam War and other wars of independence and decolonization; the impact of the Cold War and the rise of authoritarian/military regimes; and finally, globalization and the geopolitical and economic organization of these countries into the bloc called ASEAN. The course focuses on interactions between states, elites and mass society in ways that attempt to link broad political and economic changes to everyday social and cultural experiences. (Students will receive credit for HIS 3781 or AAS 3781. These courses may substitute for each other in the F-replacement policy.)