授業関係のお知らせ

In this week, first, we observed pictures created by Japanse artists in the 19th century and discussed the situation of the Dutch trading post on the island of Dejima in Nagasaki, Japan. Pictures showing European men, Japanese women, and servants who probably originated from Southeast Asia (most likely from Indonesia) may be considered as a representation of the relationship between Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Then we discussed some of the topics dealt with in Chapter 7 "The Asian Immigrations in Southeast Asia" of Milton Osborne's Southeast Asia: An Introductory History. 12th ed., Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2016. The topics include:

1. Prehistoric immigrations of certain language speaking groups contributed to the current distribution of indigenous populations in Southeast Asia: The Papuan language groups in Timor-Leste; The Austronesian language groups in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines; The Austroasiatic language groups in Vietnam and Cambodia; The Tibet-Burmese language groups in Myanmar; and The Tai language groups in Thailand and Laos.

2. While European immigration, in general, resulted in the creation of the states ruled by the Europeans, Asian immigrations, notably Chinese and Indian immigration, resulted in forming minority communities in the states ruled by indigenous populations. Singapore is a significant exception to this pattern.

3. The interaction with the Indian civilization introduced several important Indian cultural assets to Southeast Asia: A notable example is a group of Indian-derived scripts now used in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

4. In early times, Chinese immigration to Southeast Asia was mainly motivated by the profit from trading. While most of the settlers were, after several generations, integrated into the local populations, Peranakan Chinese maintained their distinctive cultural mixture of Chinese and Malay.

In the next week, we will discuss the big change in the pattern of Asian immigration which took place in the nineteenth century and its consequence.