Introduction

-What does this course offer you? Overview, reading requirements, class
organization. What is happening in contemporary Southeast Asian countries? Music, dance, art and identity.
-【+R-Jugyo】For the details, go to "Reference Video" below

[Lecture] ASEAN Integration: Assessing the Feasibility of 'One Vision, One Identity, One Community'

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has long aspired towards the vision of "One Vision, One Identity, One Community." This ambitious goal encapsulates the collective aspirations of ASEAN member states to forge a cohesive and integrated regional community. However, achieving this vision poses numerous challenges and complexities. This lecture critically examines the feasibility of ASEAN integration, exploring the political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions that shape the region's journey towards greater unity and cooperation.

[Reading]
Fabrian (2016) "Could the ASEAN Community bring about a Southeast Asian Identity? "

[Lecture] ASEAN Way: Non-interference and Consensus

ASEAN has long aspired to the vision of "One Vision, One Identity, One Community." However, cartoon artists and comic illustrators in Southeast Asia have taken a more critical view, questioning whether ASEAN is truly people-oriented, as it claims in its Charter, and whose interests it ultimately serves. In this lecture, we will examine comics and cartoons as examples of how local artists foster public discussion on the so-called "ASEAN Way," with a particular focus on its two core institutional principles: non-interference and consensus.

[Reading]
AJAR and SEA Junction (2024) "Comic Book: Cartooning the ASEAN way of non-interference and consensus". Catalog issued for exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centere (BACC) 2024.

[Lecture] Undoing Your Gaze toward Southeast Asia - Theoretical Framework

-Why is Southeast Asia a popular touristic destination? (Western gaze history, colonialism, orientalism, ethnocentrism, religion, development, and poverty).
-Video watching and discussion on East-West encounters in “Dark Tourist in Cambodia -would you like to shoot this cow with a rocket launcher or a belt-fed machine gun, sir?”
-How do contemporary art and photography portray Southeast Asia? : through the lens of Réhahn, a French photographer.

[Recommended Materials]
The Pink Room (2001 poverty, child trafficking)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2gQsBJ39B4

[Lecture] Undoing Your Gaze toward Southeast Asia - Methodology 1

How do you approach to Southeast Asia?
-Methodology (ethnography, field work, surveys and language learning)
-Video watching and discussion on “Dark Tourist in Myanmar -Heads to Naypyidaw, is it freshly opened up to tourists?”

[Reading]
Hoefinger. (2011). "‘Professional Girlfriends’ An ethnography of sexuality, solidarity and subculture in Cambodia".

[Lecture] Undoing Your Gaze toward Southeast Asia - Methodology 2

How do you approach to Southeast Asia?
-Methodology (ethnography, field work, surveys and language learning)
-Video watching and discussion on “Dark Tourist in Myanmar -Heads to Naypyidaw, is it freshly opened up to tourists?”

[Reading]
Hoefinger. (2011). "‘Professional Girlfriends’ An ethnography of sexuality, solidarity and subculture in Cambodia".

 [Lecture] RapThai, Tamil Rap and Voices Represented through Pop Culture

-Documentary watching "RAPTHAI" (2018, 28 min).
-Music Video Clip of Tamil Rapper Yung Raja, among others.

[Planning] Proposal Submission for Independent Research Project

In the Independent Research Project (IRP), each student independently conducts research and produces a research paper on a self-selected topic related to Southeast Asia. The chosen themes and subjects need not be confined to the content covered in lectures, allowing for exploration of novel areas.
-Self-guided study, attendance not required.
-Proposal Submission Deadline (June 6 2025, no later than 17:00).

[Lecture] War, Displacement and Dark Tourism

The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre features the photographic work of Myanmar artist Shwe Wutt Hmon. This exhibition was created in solidarity with the people of Myanmar, who have been fighting for democracy since the 2021 coup d'état.
-Explore a new academic discourse on dark tourism, the narrative of tragedy and historical remembrance.

[Readings]
Shwe Wutt Hmon (2025). "A Myanmar Odyssey". Catalog issued for exhibition at curved wall 4th floor BACC.

Reflection and Midterm Exam

Conduct a critical reflection on the course material covered thus far and initiate a comprehensive class discussion regarding the topics that have garnered particular interest among students, analyzing the reasons behind such engagement.
Quiz: Midtern exam will be held.

Preparation for IRP

In the Independent Research Project (IRP), each student independently conducts research and produces a research paper on a self-selected topic related to Southeast Asia. The chosen themes and subjects need not be confined to the content covered in lectures, allowing for exploration of novel areas.

IRP Presentation

In the Independent Research Project (IRP), each student independently conducts research and produces a research paper on a self-selected topic related to Southeast Asia. The chosen themes and subjects need not be confined to the content covered in lectures, allowing for exploration of novel areas.

IRP Presentation

In the Independent Research Project (IRP), each student independently conducts research and produces a research paper on a self-selected topic related to Southeast Asia. The chosen themes and subjects need not be confined to the content covered in lectures, allowing for exploration of novel areas.

IRP Presentation and Course Summary

-Course Summary
-Midterm Exam will be returned to each student.

Participation 15%
Contribution (In-class comments & Manaba reflection comments) 25%
Midterm Exam 20%
Proposal for Independent Research Project 10%
Presentation of Independent Research Project 30%