ANTH2450/GEN2332: Peoples and Cultures of Southeast Asia
Fall term, Academic Year 2011-2012
Lecture time:
Tuesday 2:30-4:15
Venue: NAH 11
Tutorial:
Tuesday 4:30-5:15
Venue: NAH 11
Lecturer: Dr. Antonella Diana ([email protected])
Office: Room 322 Humanities Building
Tel: 2609-7707
Consultation Hours: Monday 1:30-2:30 p.m. and by appointment
Teaching Assistant: Wu Huanyu ([email protected])
Course Website: Moodle: http://moodle.cuhk.edu.hk
Course Description
This course is an anthropological journey through Southeast Asia, a world region well-known for its cultural and linguistic
diversity, numerous religions, and ancient civilizations. The course is organized in two parts:
Part One will take students through the geography, socio-ecological and linguistic complexities, and the prehistory and
history of Southeast Asia. Students will be introduced to the peopling, the appearance of agriculture, the emergence of the
classical kingdoms, the spread of world religions and the processes of colonization and decolonization in the region.
Part Two will guide students to explore contemporary issues in Southeast Asia’s political, social, and cultural lives. These
include the shaping and reshaping of modern political systems, religious practices and conflicts, ethnicity, changing foodways,
gender and sexuality, urbanization, rural transformations, and processes of regionalization.
The course aims to provide an overview of the major geographical, historical, political, cultural, and social features of
Southeast Asia to enable students gain a better understanding of the current developments within the region as well as of the
lives of Southeast Asians in Hong Kong. To attain this goal the course draws on material from a wide range of disciplines
(anthropology, history, sociology, gender studies, geography, archeology, linguistics) and deploys a variety of learning tools
(text, video, pictures, music, Power Point presentations, lectures, tutorials, ethnographic fieldwork).
Overall, the course contributes to consolidate students’ knowledge in the anthropology of Asia and helps them develop
ethnographic skills, while also providing them with the means to organize and articulate ideas about “the other” to better
understand “the self”.
This is an elective course within the Program of Anthropology and part of the General Education curriculum. Students from
any Program are welcome to take this course.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:

Become acquainted with the geography, cultural diversity, prehistory, history, and processes of colonialism and postcolonialism in Southeast Asia, all of which will enable them to understand the current situation in the region including
recent political and social transformations.
1 



Be made reflect on how social, cultural, and political institutions provide lenses for understanding Southeast Asian
cultures and societies today.
Develop research and analytical skills and apply them to understand their own society.
Be enabled to describe and critically interrogate various aspects of Southeast Asian cultures and societies in Hong
Kong and in other world regions.
Achieve a better understanding of themselves through studying the other, which is a defining feature of anthropology.
Medium of Instruction
Lecture: English
Tutorial: English
Course Assessment
The assessment of this course will be a mixture of participation, synthesis ability, critical thinking, fieldwork, written and oral
articulation of ideas and concepts. There are 4 main assessment components: class/tutorial participation, oral presentation, a
take-home exam and a research essay. Students must complete all assessment components to pass the course.
Assessment
Mark Value
Class/Tutorial Participation
&
Oral Presentation
Take-home exam
Research Essay
15%
40%
45%
Word
Length/Duration
Due Date
On-going
10 minutes
3,000 words
3,000 words
Chosen tutorial week
25 October
6 December
Class/Tutorial Participation & Oral Presentation (15%)
Part of students’ responsibility is regular attendance of lectures and tutorials. Each student is required to attend a minimum
number of 9 tutorials to pass the course. Attendance sheets will be used. If you miss more than 2 tutorials without adequate
documentation (doctor’s certificate or counselling certificate), you will gain 0 mark for tutorial attendance and participation.
The awarding of high participation points comes with an active, thoughtful, consistent class participation, the kind that reveals
thorough preparation and engagement with class materials. This means contributing ideas, drawing links between concepts as
well as providing constructive responses to other students’ comments.
Note: Tutorial 1 is on 20 September 2011 (week 3)
Each student is required to give a 10-minute long oral presentation in one of the tutorials. At each tutorial there will be a one or
two-student presentation followed by a general discussion in which peers are required to take active part. Students should notify
the tutor about their chosen presentation date on week 3.
The presentation should be structured as follows:
1) Summary of tutorial reading’s content (in your own words)
2) Synthesis in two sentences of the author’s main argument
3) Identification of one point you agree with in the author’s argument and articulation of why you agree with that
4) Identification of one point you disagree with in the author’s argument and articulation of why you disagree with that
5) Reflection on how the article relates to the topic addressed in the lecture
2 Presentations will be anonymously peer assessed
Note: On the first tutorial (20 September, week 3) there will be no presentations by students but the Research Assistant will
give a presentation sample. All students should contribute to the general discussion following the presentation.
This component will assess students’ oral communication and interpersonal skills, critical thinking, and synthesis ability as well
as their progress in internalizing the course main concepts/topics
Take-home exam 40%
There will be a take-home exam as mid-term assignment. You will have one week to complete 3 questions that draw on the
lecture and tutorial readings/discussions (no further research is required). The take-home exam paper should be 3,000 words
in length (1,000 words per question). The questions will be circulated on week 6. The take-home exam paper will be due
on 25 October (week 8). You can hand your paper bearing the VeriGuide statement to your tutor/teacher or in the
Anthropology Department.
There will be no extensions for the take-home exam without adequate documentation (such as a doctor’s or counselling
certificate) or negotiation with me. Late assignments will be penalised at 5% every working day. Papers more than 2 weeks late will not be
marked.
This component will assess students’ general understanding of Southeast Asia’s geographic, cultural and socio-ecological
setting, pre-history, processes of colonization and decolonization, and the formation of modern nation-states in the region. It
will test students’ written communication and analytical skills as well as their synthesis ability.
Research Essay (45%)
Students are required to write a 3,000-word research essay on any topic related to Southeast Asian cultures and people in
Hong Kong. For this, they would need to undertake fieldwork. Topics may include food cultures in Southeast Asian
restaurants, lives and identity expression of Southeast Asian migrant workers in Hong Kong, local embracement of popular
culture of one of the countries/regions of Southeast Asia, material culture of Southeast Asia in museums/galleries in Hong
Kong and others.
Students should start thinking about their essay topic on week 2 and discuss with the lecturer the essay structure and
ethnographic focus as the course progresses. The teacher can be reached during the set consultation hours, by appointment or
email.
Further details regarding the essay topics, aims, and structure will be provided on week 1. The paper should follow the
department’s citation style and be in an essay writing style (introduction, body and conclusion).
The essay should answer the following question:
How do the life stories/cultural identity/social status/cultural value of these/this South East Asian
people/group/individual/pop culture/material culture item in Hong Kong relate to the historical/cultural/political contexts in
their/his/her country of origin? How does the phenomenon you are describing/analyzing help you understand the sociocultural reality you live in?
For extensions, the same rules indicated for the take-home exam apply.
This component aims to assess students’ ability to undertake empirical research, apply the knowledge learned in class to
understand their own society, design a research project, and articulate ideas about Southeast Asian cultures/societies in Hong
Kong so as to make a coherent argument in a written form.
The research essay is due on 6 December
The grading scale follows the University policy.
3 Course Texts:
No particular text book will be used in this course. Readings will include chapters from a variety of books and articles which
will be scanned and placed on the course Webpage. These can be accessed through Moodle.
Note on readings:
Students are expected to come to the lecture having read the Required Readings. Since the lectures will be mainly based on this
material, reading it in advance will facilitate interaction between the students and the lecturer and produce deeper engagement
with the topic.
The Recommended Readings are not compulsory but recommended for those who wish to deepen their knowledge of the
course topics.
Additionally, students should come to the tutorial having prepared the Tutorial Readings to take active part in the discussion.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
There will be zero tolerance for plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Students are expected to be aware of the University
policies and regulations on honesty in academic work and the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of
such policies and regulations. Details can be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/
Essays/exam papers should be inclusive of the VeriGuide statement signed by the students. The statement, in the form of a
receipt, will be issued by the system upon students’ uploading of the soft copy of the assignment to VeriGuide on line.
4 Overview of course themes
Part One
Week 1
6 September
Week 2
13 September (Public Holiday)
Week 3
20 September
Geography, Socio-ecological and Linguistic Complexities
Week 4
27 September
From Prehistory to History: Early Settlements and the Classical Kingdoms
Week 5
4 October
Complex State Societies and Colonialism
Week 6
11 October
Modern States and Societies
Week 7
18 October
Religion
Week 8
25 October
Ethnicity
Week 9
1 November
Food and Society
Week 10
8 November
Gender
Week 11
15 November
Political Change and Regionalization
Week 12
22 November
Urbanization and Rural Transformation
Week 13
29 November
Conclusion and Review
Introduction: Getting to Know Southeast Asia
Part Two
5 Schedule of Classes/Tutorials and Learning Resources
Part One
Week 1 6 September
Introduction: Getting to Know Southeast Asia
Required Reading
Osborne, Milton (2004) Southeast Asia: an introductory history. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin., Ch 1 “What is
Southeast Asia?” pp. 1-17.
Week 2 : 13 September (Public Holiday)
Week 3 20 September
Geography, Socio-ecological and Linguistic Complexities
Required Reading
Reid, Anthony (1988) Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce 1450-1680. Vol 1. The Lands below the Winds. New
Haven/London: Yale University Press, Ch 1 “Introduction: The Lands below the Winds”, pp 1-10.
Video: Mekong.. Part 2. The Mekong in Laos and Thailand [Videorecording] by Elke Werry at al., Produced by
Along the Mekong Productions with financial contribution of the European Union, Princeton, N.J.: Films for the
Humanities & Social Sciences, 2003. (53 minutes).
“Impoverished Laos and prosperous Thailand are a study in contrasts, yet they have one vital thing in common: the Mekong. In this program, Laotians and Thais discuss life along its banks. Common concerns include the challenges of navigating the river, environmental conservation, economic reforms, and prostitution. In addition, local economies based on agriculture, opium, logging, and hydroelectric energy are investigated. An examination of the earliest human drawings, the Empire of the Thousand Elephants, and the impact of the Cold War provide historic insights, and Buddhist monasteries, the blessing of houses, and traditional medicine provide glimpses of daily life.”
Tutorial
Reading:
Scott, James C. (2009) The art of not being governed: an anarchist history of upland Southeast Asia. New Haven : Yale
University Press. Ch. 1 “Hills, Valleys, and States: An Introduction to Zomia”, pp 1-39.
Week 4
27 September
From Prehistory to History: Early Settlements and the Classical Kingdoms
Required Reading
Bellwood Peter & Ian Glover (eds) (2004). Southeast Asia : from Prehistory to History. London/New York :
RoutledgeCurzon, “Introduction” and Ch. 1 “Southeast Asia: Foundations for an Archeological History”, pp. 1-19.
SarDesai, D. R. (2003). Southeast Asia, past & present. Boulder, Colo., Westview Press. Ch 2 “Early Kingdoms in Mainland
Southeast Asia” and Ch 3 “Early Kingdoms of Sumatra and Java”, pp. 21-47.
Video: Glories of Angkor Wat [videorecording] / a production of JWM Productions in association with Crawford
Communications, Inc. for National Geographic Television ; produced, directed and written by James Barrat (52
minutes)
Abandoned by Cambodia’s Khmer rulers in the fourteenth century, Angkor is a sprawling expanse of medieval temples—with the awe‐inspiring Angkor Wat as its crowning feature. This program takes viewers inside the structure, which, in addition to its rich historical significance, forms a fascinating record of astronomical knowledge and Hindu cosmology. Students will learn the story of Henri Mouhot, a young French naturalist who stumbled upon the ruins in 1856 and sparked an explosion of interest in them around 6 the world. The video also examines a record of the lost civilization itself, written by a 13th‐century Chinese envoy to Angkor when it was a wealthy, teeming metropolis. Tutorial
Reading:
Ian Mabbett (1977) “The ‘Indianization’ of Southeast Asia: Reflections on the Historical Sources”. Journal of Southeast Asian
Studies, 8(2) 143-61
Week 5
4 October
Complex State Societies and Colonialism
Required Reading
Osborne, Milton (2004) Southeast Asia: an introductory history. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin., Ch 3 “Courts,
Kings and Peasants: Southeast Asia Before the European Impact” and Ch 5 “The Europan Advance and Challenge”. pp. 4060; 70-92.
Recommended Reading
Rigg, Jonathan (1991) Southeast Asia: A Region in Transition: a Thematic Human Geography of the ASEAN Region.
London/Boston: Unwin Hyman, Ch. 2 “Colonization, Decolonization, and the Impact of the Colonial Period in Southeast
Asia”, pp 19-32.
Tutorial:
Reading:
Ghosh, Amitav. (2002) The Glass Palace. New York : Random House Trade Paperbacks. Ch 1, 2 , 3. Pp 3-31.
Part Two
Week 6
11 October
Modern States and Societies
Required Reading
Osborne, Milton (2004), Southeast Asia: An Introductory History. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin., Ch 12 “An End
to Post Colonial Settlements, and Beyond I” and Ch 13 “An End to Post Colonial Settlements, and Beyond II”, pp. 213-245.
Recommended Reading
David P. Chandler ... [et al.] (1987) In Search of Southeast Asia: A Modern History; edited by David Joel Steinberg.
Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, c1987. Ch 40 “Transforming Southeast Asia”, pp. 443-472
Video: The Vietnam War: From Start to Finish. Films for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Princeton, New
Jersey (28 minutes, b&w/color)
On April 30, 1975, advancing North Vietnamese Army tanks rolled into Saigon, paving the way for the South Vietnamese surrender and the end of the Vietnam War—a war which claimed nearly four million lives in the name of freedom, communism, or democracy. It depends who is telling the story. This program documents the story from the beginning, in 1941, when the only harassment of occupying Japanese forces was by Ho Chi Minh’s guerrillas, backed by the U.S. When the French returned after the end of World War II, Ho had proclaimed an independent republic with himself as president; efforts to negotiate independence within the French Union broke down and fighting began between the French and Ho’s National Liberation Movement, the Vietminh. The program covers the eight‐year‐long war with the French; the division of Indochina into Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos; the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu; the partitioning of Vietnam; the Geneva Conference; the unraveling of the South Vietnamese government and the arrival of increasing numbers of American advisers; the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nhu; the death of Ho Chi Minh; and the role of Prince Sihanouk and Cambodia. The program follows the escalation of war, from the presence of American naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin, the battles from the air and in the jungles, the Tet offensive, the evacuation of American forces, and the North’s immediate and intense efforts to remove all traces of the vanquished South Vietnamese regime. 7 Tutorial
Reading:
Evans, Grant (1998) The Politics of Ritual and Remembrance: Laos since 1975. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press,
1998. Ch 1-2-3, pp. 1-23
Week 7
18 October
Religion
Required Reading
Steinberg, David Joel et al. (1987) In Search of Southeast Asia: A Modern History, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press,
Ch 5 “Religious Life and Leadership”, pp. 37-48.
Recommended Reading
SarDesai, D. R. (2010) Southeast Asia: Past & Present. Boulder, Colo.Westview Press. part of Ch 1 “Religions and their
Role” pp 18-20.
Video: Journeys into Islamic Southeast Asia. Films for the Humanities and Social Sciences (47 minutes) This program follows in the footsteps of the traders who introduced Islam into Southeast Asia. From the Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese mainland to the islands of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the program acquaints viewers with Islamic culture, representative architecture, historical monuments, and the Muslim way of life in the region. Tutorial
Reading:
Barth, Fredrik (1993) Balinese Worlds. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Ch 12 “Bali-Hinduism as a Tradition of
Knowledge”, pp. 191-220
Week 8
25 October
Ethnicity
Required Reading
Keyes, Charles (2002) “Presidential address: The Peoples of Asia: Science and Politics in the Classification of Ethnic groups in
Thailand, China, and Vietnam”. The Journal of Asian Studies 61(4), pp. 1163-1203.
Tutorial
Keyes, Charles (c1977) The golden peninsula: culture and adaptation in mainland Southeast Asia. New York :
Macmillan, “The Chin of Northern Burma” and “The Karens of Burma and Thailand”, pp. 38-58
Video: Between two worlds : the Hmong shaman in America Siegel Productions directed and edited by Taggart
Siegel ; produce d by Taggart Siegel and Dwight Conquergood New York, NY : Filmakers Library, c1985 (30 minutes)
“Documents the Hmong refugees who have been transplanted from their agrarian mountain villages in northern Laos to cities in the U.S. Often living in high‐rise tenements, they bring their ancient shamanic rituals and ceremonies to urban America. In such unlikely settings, trance‐like healing and animal offerings are practiced as they were back home. The documentary captures rare and dramatic footage of the Hmong buying and sacrificing a cow in rural Illinois to save a sick baby in a metropolitan hospital. It shows 8 the attempts of a missionary to convert a traditional Hmong family. It also explores an unexplained phenomenon (SUNDS) in which young Hmong men have died in their sleep for no apparent medical cause.”
Take-home exam due 25 October (soft copy will be posted on Moodle)
Week 9
1 November
Food and Society
Required Reading
Sidney C.H. Cheung and Tan Chee-Beng (2007) “Introduction Food and Foodways in Asia” in Cheung, Sidney C. H. & Tan,
Chee Beng (eds.) Food and Foodways in Asia : Resource, Tradition and Cooking. London ; New York: Routledge, pp.
1-9.
Tutorial
Reading:
Chua Beng Huat Ananda Rajah, (2001) “Hybridity, Ethnicity and Food in Singapore”, in Wu, David Y. H. & Tan, Chee Beng
(eds). Changing Chinese foodways in Asia. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press , pp. 161-197
Video:
1) Burma under siege from starvation. ATV News and Public Affairs Production. 2002 (10 minutes)
“The ongoing political crisis in Myanmar has been blamed for shortage of food in the country. This program explores the food crisis in details and sees the consequences it has caused.” 2) 'Rojak!' by Suleiman Brothers – Pete Teo Producer. (4:49 minutes)
“A Rojak seller’s take on Malaysia’s multi‐faceted social political tapestry. Made entirely with CGI special effects. Visually stunning.” Week 10
8 November
Gender
Required Reading
Reid, Anthony (1988) Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce. Vol. 1. New Haven: Yale University Press., “Female Roles”
pp. 162-172.
Recommended Reading
Resurrection, P. Bernardette (2009) “Gender Trends in Migration and Employment in Southeast Asia” in Devasahayam,
Theresa W. (ed.) Gender trends in Southeast Asia: women now, women in the future. Singapore: ISEAS, pp 31-52.
Video: Effort for Love (English Subtitle). Director: Ani Ema Susanti. Producer: Nia Dinata, Kalyana Shira Films.
Distributed by Jive (26:42 minutes)
“Effort for Love (Mengusahakan Cinta) is the first documentary in the At Stake documentary series. Ruwati and Riantini are two migrant workers who work as domestic helpers in Hong Kong. They are well paid and the bread winner for the family in Java. From the outside, we see them as accomplished women. But they are facing dilemmas in their love life.” Tutorial
Reading
Sinnott, Megan (2007) Gender Subjectivity: Dees and Toms in Thailand. In Wieringa, Saskia E., Blackwood, Evelyn, and Abha
Bhaiya (eds) Women’s Sexualities and Masculinities in a Globalizing Asia. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 119138.
9 Week 11
15 November
Political Change and Regionalization
Required Readings
Osborne, Milton (2004) Southeast Asia: An Introductory History. St. Leonards, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin., “Southeast Asia’s
Modern History: an Overview of the Present and the Recent Past”, pp. 267-284.
Rigg, Jonathan (1991) Southeast Asia: a region in transition: a thematic human geography of the ASEAN region.
London/Boston: Unwin Hyman, Ch 3. “Regional co-operation in Southeast Asia: the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations”, pp. 207-28.
Tutorial
Reading
“Red Hot Challenges for Thailand”, Inside Story, 07 July 2011. http://inside.org.au/red-hot-challenges-for-thailand/
AND
“East Timor: Birth of a nation” BBC News, 19 May 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1996673.stm
Video: Independence in East Timor. Reporter: Kira Kay. Producer / Camera / Editor: Jason Maloney. Production
Associates: Gayathri Vaidyanathan, Elspeth Montgomery A production of the Bureau for International Reporting In
partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. 2009. (15 minutes)
“Kira Kay and Jason Maloney report on the tenth anniversary of East Timor's independence from Indonesia, and efforts to build a lasting democracy in one of the world's most fragile states.” Week 12
22 November
Urbanization and Rural Transformation
Required Reading
Rigg, Jonathan (1991) Southeast Asia: a Region in Transition: a Thematic Human Geography of the ASEAN Region.
London/Boston: Unwin Hyman, Ch 3. “Rice Cultivation, the Green Revolution and Agrarian Change in Southeast Asia”, pp.
33-43.
Evers, Hans-Dieter.(2000) Southeast Asian Urbanism : the Meaning and Power of Social Space. Münster : Lit Verlage ;
New York : St. Martin's Press, Ch 4 “Strategies of Survival in the Cities”, pp. 131-153
Video: Flooding in the Time of Drought. Director/Writer: Sherman Ong. Producer: Sunny Yong. Singapore,
Malaysia. 2009. Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Tagalog, Mandarin, German, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Malay, Hokkien
Subtitles: English. Original Format: HD Screening Format: HDCAM or Digibeta PAL. (184 minutes. in two parts)
“What if Singapore’s water supply suddenly runs dry? This docu‐narrative fusion depicts the lives of foreign immigrants as they face an impending water crisis. Amidst this drought, a cast of non‐professional actors grapple with their foibles, fantasies, and broken romances. Touching on issues as diverse as ethnic discrimination, ritual beliefs, World War II, and racial tensions in post‐’97 riots Indonesia, the film explores how ingrained problems are transported along with migrant communities.” Tutorial
Reading:
Rimmer, Peter James & Dick, H. W. (Howard W.) The City in Southeast Asia : Patterns, Processes and policy.
Honolulu : University of Hawai‘i Press, c2009. Ch 3 “‘Global Cities’: Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur”, pp. 51-82.
Week 13
29 November
Conclusion and Review
No required readings for this week
10 Tutorial
Reading:
Cotton, James, (1999) “The “Haze” over Southeast Asia: Challenging the ASEAN Mode of Regional Engagement,” Pacific
Affairs, 72(3), pp. 331-351.
Research paper due on 6 December
11