Topics in Global Histories
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TOPICS IN GLOBAL HISTORY: A COMPARATIVE
HISTORY OF NOT-COLONIALISMS IN ASIA
New York University
John W. Draper Interdisciplinary Master’s Program in Humanities and Social Thought
Spring 2013
Location: TBD
Schedule: Thursday 6:20p-8:20p
Office: Draper Program 105
Office Hours: By Appointment
Phone: 212-998-2109
Email: taylor.easum@nyu.edu
Course Description: The expansion of Western Colonialism throughout Asia proceeded in
fits and starts, and resulted in a wide variety of manifestations, ranging from direct conquest to
indirect rule. Three Asian states—Siam (Thailand after 1939), Japan, and China—similarly faced
the West in the 19th c., and emerged as formally independent nations, though on very different
historical paths through the murky waters of Empire and foreign domination. This course will
engage in a critical comparison of not-quite-colonialisms in Asia, looking primarily at the
Siamese and Japanese, as well as the Chinese confrontation with the West, their subsequent
political and cultural integration, economic development, and eventual confrontation with each
other during WWII, as a way to examine the subtleties of Empire and Colonialism.
These three states similarly faced the expansion of Western power and trade in the mid-19th
century, culminating in the signing of the ‘unequal treaties’. Thereafter, Siam remained formally
independent, buffeted between the British and French. Japan soon became a model for other
Asian states by successfully modernizing and militarily confronting the West, while imperial
subjectivity produced revolt, rebellion, and revolution in China. Empire had come full circle by
WWII, as Japan extended its reach into China and Southeast Asia. With the end of the war and
Japan’s defeat, however, another era of informal empire began, with the American Era in
Thailand, and the American occupation in Japan. Thus, the seminar closes by asking how notions
of empire, imperialism, and colonialism interact with states and histories that can only be
described as anything BUT not-colonial.
Evaluation: The course is designed to facilitate comparison and reflection; as such, students
are encouraged to bring their own experiences, interests, and questions into the discussion.
Moreover, this course aims to develop students’ written and oral presentation skills. With these
goals in mind, students shall be evaluated based primarily on weekly responses to the readings,
one formal oral presentation, two short writing assignments, and a major research essay.
Readings: A detailed schedule and reading list will be provided before our first meeting. Our
readings will include theoretical works on colonialism in the region, and detailed studies of the
various political, cultural, and social responses to the challenges of not-quite-colonialism.