I will be teaching a new course on modern Southeast Asia starting in the Fall 2010 session at Ryerson. It’s HST 585: Southeast Asia – War and Peace Since 1945. The course calendar description follows. Really hope to see you there!

Throughout the 20^th century, Southeast Asia endured violent conflicts borne of imperial rivalries, decolonisation, nationalism, ethnic tensions, ideology, and great power contestation. Revolutions and wars in the region were pivotal in shaping the international geo-political order. The so-called “Vietnam War” era lasted more than fifty years and turned the countries of Indochina into the most heavily bombed countries in history. It also engulfed global powers like France, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, the Soviet Union, and the United States. This course will deal with the many myths and realities of Southeast Asia and the ways in which the region has affected international relations since 1945. Using case studies from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Malaya, Indonesia, Burma (Myanmar) and the Philippines we will explore the diverse historical experiences of countries and societies in the region. In doing so we will scrutinize ideas of nation, state, and citizenship and explore the lasting legacies of political, social, and cultural change over the past few decades. The course also examines a host of contemporary issues in Southeast Asia, such ethnic tensions, separatist movements, religious revival, regionalism, economic globalisation, mass migration, tourism, environmental degradation, corruption, and the continuing political instability of some states.