ASIA 2007 - Asia: Cultures & Identities

Asia is not only increasingly important economically, Asian culture is also more and more relevant around the world. Cultures and Identities will highlight the diversity of this culture, particularly in China and Japan as these are the most influential in both Asia the West. How did we get from Confucianism to cosplay and anime shaping Western pop culture? How did one result in the other? This course will both explain traditional forces like Confucianism and Shinto shaping culture and identity as well as explore how modernisation has helped bring about Lolitas in Japan and angry young men (fenqing) in China. This exploration will help us understand how tradition was reshaped by modernity and eventually today's desire for ever higher levels of consumption. The course therefore covers traditional society and religion, the influence of imperialism and the modernisation imperative of the 19th Century, the social consequences of the post-war economic miracle and the rise of communism as well as the influence of contemporary globalisation and the digital revolution.