State and Society in Modern Southeast Asia

Catalog description

How did colonial empires, revolutionary movements, and military regimes shape modern Southeast Asia? This course approaches the region as a place where global ideas of capitalism, nationalism, and governance were continually negotiated through local struggles. Spanning from the late nineteenth century to the end of the Cold War, students will engage with key debates in Southeast Asian historiography - on plural societies, moral economies, and developmentalism - as well as questions central to political science: state formation, authoritarian legitimacy, and civil-military relations. The readings combine archival depth with analytical range, introducing students to how historians craft interpretations of power, development, and violence.