DHIS 22A07 - Mass Violence in Modern Asia

This course seeks to make sense of the sheer volume and variety of mass violence—including violence on the environment—over the course of the 20th century with a focus on East and Southeast Asia. Probing deeper than traditional actors such as the state or political party, the course explores the motivations behind popular participation in modern state or political programs and movements, and especially those of the youth in Japan, China, and Cambodia. Moving chronologically from the Japanese Empire at the turn of the 20th century through Maoism and the Khmer Rouge to the current climate crisis, the course views mass mobilization and violence through a range of themes and topics: from ecological catastrophe and class rivalries to cultural practice and the uses of memory. To ensure that our subjects are considered in a broader, global perspective, the course has a comparative component that we pair with our secondary reading each week: François Bizot's memoir of captivity by the Khmer Rouge,The Gate/Le portail, and Jan Gross's study of genocide in Poland, Neighbors, which we read in full and discuss together over the course of the semester. We do this for what these and other readings reveal about the psychology of communal violence at the most intimate level and the sheer complexity of factors that have fueled some of the most troubling aspects of humanity in the modern era. We also view parts of two films together: L'Image manquante (The Missing picture, 2013) by Rithy Panh on the Cambodian genocide and Three Minutes: A Lengthening (Bianca Stigter/Glenn Kurtz, 2021) on Poland. Finally, the course ends with reflections on the politics of war remembrance, and the place of mass violence in a world facing climate change, water and resource crises, and rapid loss of bio-diversity.

Pierre FULLER

Séminaire

English

Autumn 2023-2024

To validate the course, the student is expected to pass the following assignments: 1°) One assignment that consists of TWO x 300-word abstracts written by you that each summarizes one of the journal articles/book chapters from Weeks 2-5 (but not Bizot or Gross). An abstract is a concise statement that captures a research paper's argument, research method (sources and how they are used) and intellectual or other significance. (20%) 2°) A reflective piece (2,000 words) that combines discussion of Bizot and Gross's works and how they relate to course themes. (20%) 3°) One research paper (4,000 words) to be submitted at the end of the semester. The paper should formulate a precise research question (problématique) relating to the topic at hand and make a clear argument in response to it, being informed by personal empirical research, as well as relevant concepts, theories and references. (50%) 4°) Class participation. This is based on your one discussion “launch” over the semester, your attendance in class, and the level of your engagement in class discussion. (10%

At the end of the course, the student is expected to : 1°) Demonstrate a thorough understanding of key episodes and phenomena in 20th century Asia. 2°) Critically analyse complex historical events and assess historiographical debate. 3°) Draw upon their knowledge of history to understand current events. Each session will begin with a group discussion, led by a member of the class, of the week's sections of François Bizot's The Gate/Le portail and Jan Gross's Neighbors. The remainder of the session will explore the week's broader theme surrounding our assigned academic article.