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Colonialism in south asia
Religion in south and southwest asia
Legacy of colonialism in southeast asia
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Defining Southeast Asia as a region poses several problems. One would first notice how culturally, politically, physically and economically diverse Southeast Asia is throughout its 11 nations but this is exactly what that makes Southeast Asia problematic as a region to define. Whilst most regions are common and bound together religiously, historically or by language origins, the nations of Southeast Asia lacks in commonality due to its vast diversity. Southeast Asia is problematic because it is made up of many countries of diverse backgrounds. Colonization of the region by different colonial masters resulted in differing impacts in social practices by different colonial masters. It also led the countries to become close to their colonial rulers compared to their neighbours in trade making it difficult for them to bond together as a region. Even when Southeast Asia is characterized by high economic growth, barely 20% of their trade is intra-regional. Different Southeast Asian nations were ruled by various colonial masters in the past contributing to its vast diversity. Malaya and Singapore was under the British control while the Spanish controlled the Philippines, and the Dutch ruled over Indonesia, and Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia was under French control though Vietnam was ruled separately from Laos and Cambodia. These led to varying impacts left by the colonial masters.
Religion is an vital segment of Southeast Asia. With the vastly diverse practice of religions throughout Southeast Asia, not one country shares a same common religion and no countries in Southeast Asia are religiously homogenous.
Hinduism in Southeast Asia
Hinduism originated in India from where it spread to Southeast Asia and other parts of the world such a...
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...e moral philosopher, Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC). It is a set of complex beliefs that emphasizes on harmony, stability, common consensus, hierarchy and authority. But unlike Hinduism or Buddhism it has no priesthood or formal ritual. Confucian ideas still have a profound effect in Vietnam, Singapore and among Chinese throughout the region.
These are the various complexities that hinders the process of defining Southeast Asia as a region. Yet it is not very hard to find commonalities and links between each factor and organizations such as ASEAN has brought the region together and bond. In spite of being vastly diverse in terms of culture, politics, physique or even economic, all these complexities are influenced my one common thing which are all somehow linked and play a great role and influencing and shaping the Southeast Asia we see now and define it as a region.
Due to the fact that this area was constructed in colonial form, decolonization was attempted so that they could gain independent status. Once this started, these are when the challenges presented themselves. A sense of insurgency erupted and rebellion against the government occurred. The Muslim separatists and the communist rebels went against the government and challenged it. The problem was that Southeast Asia attempted to decolonize, but since the Americans won the Philippines from Spain in war they had their own rules. This caused problems between the both and mad an even bigger challenge for the regions of Southeast Asia to gain their independence. Once independence was gained, dictatorship with the region became a major challenge. For example, a man named Ferdinand Marcos inhibited many bad influences and was known for rigging the
Throughout the nation’s 2000-year history, Cambodia, a developing Southeast Asian country located on the Indochina Peninsula, has experienced a number of glories and tragedies; as a matter of fact, it was until 1993 that the democratic election, supported by the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), were conducted to restore peace in Cambodia under a coalition government (CIA World Factbook, 2013). In order to transform from the negative peace which is just the absent of direct violence to the positive peace meaning the absent of cultural and structural violence, Cambodia, the younger member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has been trying as hard as possible to address the problem of inequality with the obvious hope that if inequality is not natural, according to Hobbes, but rather constructed, there are probably chances to level down its impacts or even demolish its existence.
As we can know, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islamism are the three largest religions all over the world. They all play a very significant role in our life. Nonetheless, Christianity and Buddhism are the largest population around the world. Through our religious distribution map around the world, there are seven billion followers who believe in Buddhism while twenty billion followers who believe in Christianity around the world. Moreover, Christian population are the 31.5% of the world population, in the meantime, Buddhists are the 7.1% of the world population around the world. In China, there are lots of people who believe in Buddhism because they think that Buddhism which can bring their fortune and safety. That is a only one reason Buddhism which plays a large population in China's population. Historically, Buddhism are largely distributed to some Asian areas like China, Thailand, and Japanese.
Western imperialism in East Asia caused many tribulations for China, Japan, and Korea but also helped them to become contemporary nations. The East Asian countries were tremendously affected by unequal treaties, extraterritoriality, and above all, technology. Great Britain encroached upon China their greed for open trade with the Chinese empire resulting in the deterioration of the Chinese culture, which led to the emergence of a modernized civilization. Japan was co-subjugated by Russia and the United States so that the trade routes of these western countries could extend into the east, which resulted in the foundation of industrialization in Modern East Asia. Finally, the spread of western Christianity and influential neighbors, namely China and Japan, culturally influenced Korea while bringing some semblance of unification. Therefore, imperialism affected 18th and 19th century East Asia by the system’s inherent exploitation of the countries' resources and worldly ignorance but also managed to give rise to a stronger Modern East Asia.
Stewart Gordon is an expert historian who specializes in Asian history. He is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Michigan and has authored three different books on Asia. Gordon’s When Asia Was The World uses the narratives of several different men to explore The Golden Age of medieval Asia. The fact that this book is based on the travels and experiences of the everyday lives of real people gives the reader a feeling of actually experiencing the history. Gordon’s work reveals to the reader that while the Europeans were trapped in the dark ages, Asia was prosperous, bursting with culture, and widely connected by trade. This book serves to teach readers about the varieties of cultures, social practices, and religions that sprang from and spread out from ancient Asia itself and shows just how far Asia was ahead of the rest of the world
Ebery, Patricia – Walthall, Anne – Palais, James. East Asia, a Cultural, Social, and Political History. Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. 2009.
Confucius (551–479 B.C.) was a Chinese philosopher and founder of the Confucian school of thought, which greatly influenced political and social life in China. His teachings are known primarily through the Analects of Confucius, a collection of "brief aphoristic fragments", which was compiled many years after his death. Although he didn’t write any books, his students did the writing based on his teachings and millions of people still rely on Confucius's philosophy as a guide to live. Until the twentieth century, Confucianism was the state religion of China. Confucius (Master K'ung Ch'iu), His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines, such as Legalism or Daoism. Legalism was a third Chinese philosophy, a Classical Chinese philosophy that emphasizes the need for order above all other human concerns. At the other extreme was the philosophy known as Legalism. Proponents of Legalism did not concern themselves with Confucian values of ethical and mor...
Confucianism is a religious philosophy formed by the Chinese philosopher Kung-fu-Tsu. This philosophy came out of need during the warring states period of Chinese history. K'ung-fu-Tsu was a teacher at the hundred schools. His prime concern was the improvement of society. Confucianism has no gods, and the only written history of this religion is in the Analects, a collection of his responses to his disciple's questions. K'ung-fu-Tsu believed that the improvement of society was the responsibility of the ruler and that the quality of government depended on the ruler's moral character. This new way meant concern for others and adherance to the golden rule. Confucianism has had a greater and longer lasting influence on China than that of any other religious philosophy.
Religion usually plays a big part in the cultures of the world and is the basis for their beliefs and values. In many countries religion is very important, so important that some cultures use it in every aspect of their lives. China l...
Mahbubani argues that global dominance is moving to the east primarily due to the United States incompetence (weakness) and growing capability of Asian nations. He furthers this notion by strongly indicating that the West is inhibiting Asian progress. Mahbubani further indicates that the west has lost its legitimacy due to violating international protocol. Mahbabani recommends a return to domestic good governance and specifies that some Asian countries are now ready to join the west in becoming “responsible custodian” (pp. 4) of the global order.
Wilson, Constance, Dr. "Colonialism and Nationalism in Southeast Asia." Colonialism and Nationalism in Southeast Asia. Himself, July 2005. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
As mentioned earlier, Hinduism is one of the oldest religions that still exist today. It originated in India but there many Hindus in other countries, especially in the western cultures. This particular religion is intriguing as it doesn’t have a single founder, but rather it is a type of religion that has evolved over thousands of years. It has been said that the people of India developed Hinduism over the years. There are many assumptions of when Hinduism originally started but most of them can’t be confirmed. It is just known that certain Hindu practices can be traced back thousands of year based on information that has been obtained. Many say it started back in the Vedic period, which is the time that supposedly the people of Indus Valley were invaded by Aryans. The invasion of the Aryans (Indo-European culture) is just a theory but still shows up in the history.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic, or Laos, is a politically stable and peaceful landlocked country in Southeast Asia, centrally located in the Mekong sub-region. The country occupies about 236,800 square kilometers and almost half the length of the Mekong River that flows through it. It is bordered by China to the north, Myanmar and Thailand to the west, Cambodia to the south and Vietnam to the east. The country has a tropical monsoon climate with a rainy season from May to October. Temperatures range from highs of 40°C along the Mekong River in March and April to lows of 5°C in the high mountains in January. (The World Fact Book) Most of Laos is covered by mountains and dense forests and its population density is among the lowest in Asia. Laos has a population of about 5.6 million, comprising 47 ethnic groups.
Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion and was originated in the Indian subcontinent. Surprisingly as big as it is rare that Hinduism doesn’t have a start. Not a single founder, religious organization, or specific system, but it has evolved over thousands of years. Hinduism has a wide range of body in cultural and philosophical practices. Hinduism consists of belief and tradition. It has not only survived countless attacks from invading nations and religions, but has also changed and grown more than anything other religion has. It has been suggested that the Aryans are said to have invaded India around 1500 BC, added their traditions and chaste system to the culture. This is the only origin of the idea of Hinduism known.
...the modern history in South and Southeast Asia. Those religions are Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Animism, Confucianism, Chinese Traditional Religion, Shinto, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and many more. Each one of them either made a small impact or a bigger impact but put them all together and they have made a huge impact. Based off of the research, the top three religions that made the most impact on South and Southeast Asia is Buddhism, then Christianity, then third Confucianism. Buddhism is being taught everywhere in Southeast Asia in schools and there are many monks still around. Christianity is growing by the millions very rapidly and it will never stop growing. Last of all, Confucianism is also being taught in schools like Buddhism and it also is really popular. These are the roles that religion played in shaping the modern history of South and Southeast Asia.