The Challenge of the Introductory Course
on the Pacific Basin
with specific reference to SUA’s & author’s unique experiences
Gaye Christoffersen
Soka University of America
Aliso Viejo, CA
Presented at Track: Internationalizing the Curriculum II, Session D
American Political Science Association Teaching and Learning Conference
February 22-24, 2007
San Jose, California
Learning Objectives at SUA
• compare regions, cultures, societies, and economies
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within and across the Pacific Basin; survey the
geography and history of this region
emphasis on the increasing integration of the Asia-Pacific
Relate to contemporary issues: economic relations,
migration, regional institutions, globalization,
democratization, transnationalism, and the environment
establish a basic foundation of knowledge on Asia for
freshman
introduce to freshman the primary theoretical
approaches—Realism, Liberal Institutionalism, and
Constructivism
preparation for the Junior year Study Abroad semester in
either Beijing, Nanjing, Harbin, Tokyo, or Taipei
Increase self-understanding of students drawn from
Asia-Pacific region
Idea of Pacific Century
• Idea of Pan-Pacific organization has roots in 19th c.
• 1925 Institute of Pacific Relations started in Honolulu
• Late 1970s – “Asia-Pacific cooperation” a hot topic in
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regional conferences as the East Asian economic miracle
emerged
Track II PECC started by Japan & Australia in 1980 as
tripartite partnership of senior individuals from business,
government, academia meeting annually; headquarters
in Singapore
Numerous other Track II organizations, e.g., PBEC
1989 – APEC created by Japan & Australia; US gov’t
reluctantly participated;
eventually American universities introduced Asia-Pacific
courses & research centers; academia more enthusiastic
than US government
Idea of Pacific Century
• 1992 – PBS television series, The Pacific Century,
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produced by Frank Gibney, Pacific Basin Institute. Mark
Borthwick edited a companion textbook, Pacific Century:
the Emergence of Modern Pacific Asia [1st ed 1992; 3rd
ed 2007 Westview Press]
Borthwick is currently Exec. Dir. of US National
Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation [USNCPEC]
Book was an interdisciplinary survey of economic and
political development in Pacific Asia, integrating the past
with the present
These were the basic tools for courses on Pacific Basin
or Asia-Pacific, widely used in 1990s to the present.
The Idea of Pacific Century always had a specific
historical & political context, not a purely academic topic;
many American Asianists skeptical, critical
Challenges of the Pacific Basin Course
• Materials focused on nation-states, nationalism; Pacific Century
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textbook does not capture trans-nationalism and regional
integration;
Teachers focused on nation-states, nationalism; had identity,
emotional & ideological commitments to one particular nationstate—Japan, S. Korea or China
Although course subject matter transcends disciplines, when taught
by ‘non-experts’ in the past, each professor emphasized own
discipline, producing distinctly different courses—students confused
Emphasis on the East Asian economic miracle & East Asian
developmental state; non-East Asian countries, export markets and
raw material sources, were treated as non-essential
Overly focused on Confucianist societies & Confucianism as a source
of economic prosperity, marginalizing Islamic Asian countries &
treating Christian Asians as “the other.”
Overly focused on East Asian states & societies, excluding the larger
Asia-Pacific region; this would facilitate the Pacific Century
becoming an Asian Century which justified East Asian regionalism
Challenges of the Pacific Basin Course
• Pacific Century documentary series out of date, cannot be updated
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because of copyright issues; nothing on Asian financial crisis,
Japan’s economic slump, emerging East Asian regionalism &
increasing intra-Asian trade
Although called “Pacific” Century, primary focus was on land-based
economics, politics, geography, societies, without considering what
held them together, leading to a comparative politics & economics
approach; separate & independent units strung together.
Standard courses using Pacific Century text & videos had reified
“Asia-Pacific” into a thing rather than viewing it as an ongoing
process of migration, trade, economic, cultural & educational
exchange. Skeptics doubted that this thing, Asia-Pacific, really
existed, claimed it was only an ideological construct
Institutional framework, APEC, is said to be in trouble, idea of AsiaPacific community threatened by East Asian regionalism; APEC badly
divided during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, enthusiasm &
optimism slowed down
However, processes of integration across the Asia-Pacific have
intensified even without a framework to manage them
Recent Intellectual Challenge
• Barbara Andaya [past pres. of AAS] presidential address
at 2006 AAS annual meeting. “Oceans Unbounded:
Transversing Asia across ‘Area Studies’”:
– called for greater coherence in the teaching of Asia, suggested:
– Rather than think of the sea as a boundary that separated landbased societies, consider it’s capacity to connect them
– A course organized around the theme of Asia’s maritime history,
considering intra-Asian exchanges and Asia’s linkages to the
outside world, trans-oceanic
– This would create a pathway for overcoming the confines of
“area studies” which privilege the land & marginalize the sea
• This could also alternatively translate into a course on
civilization surrounding South China Seas, Bohai Sea, or
Indian Ocean; influenced by Braudel’s approach to
Mediterranean civilization
Pacific Basin a required course at SUA taught by 4 professors:
Prof. MW’s approach to Pacific Basin
• Themes & specialization: specialization in global migration &
minority rights in Japan;
• Part 1: Imperialism & Evolution of Modern World Order
– Interaction of colonizer & colonized
– Roles of traders & missionaries in Pacific
• Part 2: Asian Migrations across Pacific
– Asian American experience
– WWII & rebuilding afterwards
• Part 3: Globalization
– Global economics
– Civil society in comparative perspective
• Themes include colonial relations, race science, & migration. Does
not use Pacific Century textbook or video series; Extensive use of
films & documentaries; greater emphasis on transnational processes
of migration, trade; greater emphasis on mutual representations
and how cultural differences are translated into a science of race
Prof. HC’s approach to Pacific Basin
• specialization in development economics
• Part 1: survey of the geography, history, population,
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cultures, societies, & economies within and across the
Pacific
Part 2: economic & political development of developing
countries
Part 3: Regional integration, regional organizations, and
roles of major powers
Extensive use of Pacific Century book & films; materials
on Latin America; more of a comparative approach,
small section on globalization and transnational
processes, more skeptical view on the “Asia-Pacific idea.”
focus is on nation-state as unit of analysis
Prof GC’s approach to Pacific Basin
• GC specialization in Asian multilateralism, ASEAN+3,
APEC, Track 1 & 2;
• Selectively uses Pacific Century book & videos;
supplements with text on history of imperialism prior to
rise of Asian nationalisms and text on more recent
globalization processes
• Syllabus divided into the Age of Imperialism, the Age of
Asian Nationalism & the Age of Globalization
• Age of Imperialism examines Western incursions into Asia from
the sea - McDougall. Let the Sea Make a Noise... : A History of
the North Pacific from Magellan to MacArthur.
• Age of Asian Nationalism - Borthwick. Pacific Century, chapters
on nationalism, communism, Pacific War.
– Age of Globalization - Connors, Davison & Dosch. The New
Global Politics of the Asia-Pacific.
Age of Imperialism - McDougall. Let the
Sea Make a Noise... :
• Pacific region emerges, slowly integrates, as European
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imperialists began to seek trade routes, acquiring
spheres of influence, territory
Thesis: North Pacific held 6 great prizes: West Coast of
North America, Alta California, eastern Siberia,
Manchuria, Hawaiian Islands, sea lanes [SLOCs]
Initially Portuguese, French, Spanish, Dutch and British
imperialists; eventually American, Russian & Japanese
imperialists would compete
Supplemented with Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs and
Steel, to ponder why were some colonizers & others
colonized
Age of Imperialism - McDougall.
Let the Sea Make a Noise... :
• Course examines indigenous peoples strategies
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for coping with imperialists, especially Hawaiian
perspective, although could alternatively view
from Chinese, Korean, Southeast Asian,
Okinawan perspectives
McDougall history tells story of Pacific
integration through individuals who played key
roles in leading their countries towards Pacific
students wear costumes, role play,
have scripts from text for ‘aha iki
Extensive use of images, visuals organized in weekly
Powerpoints: Manifest Destiny: American settlers bring the
light of "civilization" westward
Manifest Destiny in Hawaii:
King Kalakaua dreamt of uniting Pacific in anti-colonial movement
Emphasis on trade routes, taking note of the
shipping, railroad, airplane technology that
facilitated opening up the remote North
Pacific
Several documentaries on
Imperialism in the Pacific:
Spanish Imperialism – impact on Incas:
– Guns, Germs and Steel: Episode Two : Conquest
• American Imperialism – impact on Philippines, Vietnam:
– The Pacific Century: Sentimental Imperialists: America in Asia
• Chinese strategies:
– The Pacific Century: The Two Coasts of China
• Japanese strategies – avoidance, participation:
– Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire; Episode 2
– Pacific Century: The Meiji Revolution
• Hawaiian strategies – resistance, accommodation:
– The Conquest of Hawaii
• Recent Chinese 12-part documentary series on The Rise of Great
Powers [国崛起] ; available in DVD. Idea is China should study the
historical experience and learn from other great powers; suggests
emerging Chinese paradigm shift on imperialism.
Website: http://finance.cctv.com/special/C16860/01/index.shtml
dubbed in English in Singapore and shown on History Channel
there. Was also viewed in Vietnam. Not seen in the US yet.
Age of Nationalisms, Revolution & War
• Earliest signs of Chinese nationalism: economic boycotts,
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urban intellectuals in May 4th movement, and Boxers,
“Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists”
Chinese have ambivalent attitudes towards Boxers,
sometimes embarrassed by them because of violent
xenophobic, sometimes proud of them for resisting
imperialists, hostility towards missionaries
Even 19th c. history of missionaries in China had
maritime dimension. Missionaries demanded US gov’t
protect them in China; their demands combined with
1890s American naval expansion. Mahan claimed
domination of sea lanes & sea commerce critical, wrote
The Influence of Sea Power Upon History. Also wrote
The Problem of Asia. US would join other European
imperialists to suppress Boxer Rebellion
Theme of nationalism doesn’t replace imperialism
theme; visuals on clash between the two; readings from
Borthwick. Pacific Century, chapters on nationalism,
communism, Pacific War.
isuals on Japan’s Transformation during Russoapanese War as presented in art form – senso-e
Most young people have never heard of Manchukuo;
rediscovering East Asian identity in revival of Ri-koran musical
Nagasaki 1945; Pacific Century deemphasizes
WWII as an interruption in the integration of a
regional economy rather than view it as a logical
outcome of the previous centuries’ imperialist
competition
Several documentaries on
Nationalisms, Revolution & War:
• China - A Century of Revolution: Part One, 1911-1949
• The Pacific Century: Writers and Revolutionaries
• The Human Condition [Japanese film on the colonization
of Manchuria]
• In the Name of the Emperor: The Rape of Nanjing
• Why We Fight WWII – Know Your Enemy - Japan
• The Pacific Century: From the Barrel of a Gun
[Indonesian and Vietnamese revolutions]
Age of Globalization
• Text: Connors, Davison & Dosch. The New Global Politics
of the Asia-Pacific
• Transnational movement of people, drugs, triads, ideas,
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commerce, economic crisis, internet
Focus on local Asian responses to globalization;
continuity with previous course section on colonized
responses to colonizers; however Asian corporations are
globalizing
Goes beyond Pacific Century documentary series to
include last 16 years: Asian financial crisis, East Asian
regionalism as response to crisis, Islamic networks in
Asia, non-traditional security issues that have become
the focus of many Asian multilateral regimes
Very contemporary; visuals are easy to find
Nationalism & traditional security issues still relevant
Asian multilateralism & non-traditional security issues prevalent
Transnational corporations, movements, NGOs,
surfers, terrorists & criminals
Documentaries on Age of Globalization – Pacific
Century videos still relevant but need supplementing
• The Pacific Century: Reinventing Japan
• The Pacific Century: Inside Japan, Inc
• The Pacific Century: Big Business and the Ghost of
Confucius
• Hang: The Manifest Destiny of the Longboard Cult [film
about surfers’s attitudes, similarities with early European
explorers]
• Windows on Asia-Pacific: Asian television commercials
• Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy,
Part 3: The New Rules of the Game
[economic contagion – 1997 economic crisis]
Documentaries on Age of Globalization -YouTube to the rescue!
• Asian Values Devalued [on YouTube] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=•
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LzT72Afq2o
Globalizing Asia or Asian Globalization? - Pt 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fALAjD_XUss
Globalizing Asia or Asian Globalization? - Pt 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGUDm2yrJ7w
Conversations with History: Clyde Prestowitz on reasons for the shift of
economic power to Asia
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIOvdFpXipg
Conversations with History: Nayan Chanda on regional stability in Asia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au7xAjDxKgQ
21st Century War - Indonesia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOl2kcqyK1I
• The Globalization Tapes
http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=95
A group of Indonesian filmmakers trace the development of contemporary
globalization from its roots in colonialism to the present. The story isn't told
by experts, but by insightful union members from factories and plantations
in Indonesia.
SUA Upper division courses that draw specifically
from foundational knowledge in Pacific Basin course
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INTS 221 History of East Asian-American Relations
INTS 271 Emergence of Modern Japan
INTS 290 Korea in the Modern World
INTS 262 China’s Economic Development and Reform
INTS 370 Politics of China
INTS 321 Economic Development in the Pacific Asia
INTS 355 International Relations of Pacific Asia
INTS 342 Asian America in Comparative Perspective
INTS 345 Media and Society in Pacific Asia
INTS 350 Political and Social Change in Pacific Asia
INTS 380 Indigenous Peoples of Oceania
INTS 405 War and Memory in Pacific Asia
Learning Clusters on NGOs in the Asia-Pacific; ethnic conflicts &
their peaceful resolution in Asia-Pacific; US-China-Japan trilateral
relations in Asia-Pacific
Cultural variations on Asia-Pacific course
• Author’s experience teaching subject matter in Russia, China &
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Turkish Cyprus; unique local challenges
Russian experience: on the edges of the Pacific Basin, resistance to
its practices, assumptions, commercial life
Exemplified by melancholy waltz, Hills of Manchuria,
commemorating Russian officers lost in the bloody Battle of
Mukden, last land battle of Russo-Japanese War. Played in Urga
[Close To Eden] movie by Mikhalkov which portrays a Russian and
Mongolian on the edges of the Asia-Pacific, resistant to being drawn
into the commercial life of China and Asia-Pacific
Russian attitude may change after Vladivostok hosts APEC 2012
Turkish Cypriot experience: wanted to know about Malaysia in the
Asia-Pacific economy; how did it maintain peaceful ethnic relations?
How did it become both an economically modernizing society and a
Muslim society at the same time? [Pacific Century materials not
helpful here] What lessons from Malaysia could be adapted to
Turkish Cyprus?
Chinese experience: initial suspicion of Asia-Pacific economic
integration and regional organizations over last 2 decades changed
as China’s role in regional economy and regional organizations has
expanded; China joined PECC in 1986, APEC in 1991, & hosted APEC
in 2001
Conclusion: Solutions to Challenges
• recent 2007 3rd ed. of Pacific Century text has added
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additional chapter on globalization, revival of East Asian
regionalism, China’s role in Asia-Pacific, & update on
Japan’s role
Instructors need to work with other teachers to develop a
set of consistent themes; can still maintain unique
approaches to addressing those themes
Instructors, doing curriculum development, need to work
with departments & university to clarify what is, or is not,
Pacific Basin
Instructors need to continually supplement & update
original, standard course materials from Pacific Century
textbook & videos
Asia-Pacific is not a “thing” – should not be reified but
rather examined as a continual process of integration
APEC 2008 hosted by Peru should contribute to Latin
American participation in Asia-Pacific http://www.apec2008.org.pe/contenidoingles/apecfaqsp