Winter Term 2017/2018
Policial Science/ Social and Cultural Anthropology
The Politics and Anthropology of Southeast Asia
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rüland, Prof. Dr. Judith Schlehe
European Campus Seminar:
23 Oct., 12-14 h Introduction (Rempartstr. 4 (Breisacher Tor) Raum 207)
Block session I: 1-2 December in Freiburg (Wilhelmstr. 26, 1014)
Block session II: 15-16 December in Basel
Summary: South East Asia is a very dynamic region that is assuming an increasingly important strategic role as a major player in global affairs. It is also a region with a fascinating diversity and dynamic interaction of cultures, religions and traditions. This course examines the societies, political processes and cultures of Southeast Asia from the perspectives of anthropology and political science. We will consider concepts and analytical perspectives that have generated key debates in the ethnography and political analysis of the region, such as interpretive concepts of culture and processes of domination, displacement, as well as themes of the state and regionalism, gender, ethnicity and religion. The aim of this course is to encourage fresh engagement and transdisciplinary studies on and with global Southeast Asia.
Students who need to acquire 10 ECTS are expected to conduct an empirical study (field research) on the Southeast Asian diaspora in Freiburg or Basel.
Additional (compulsory for German speaking students from Freiburg):
Lecture, Freiburg, 30/11/2017 (Gesellschaft für Geographie und Ethnologie),
Dr. Viola Thimm (Universität Hamburg, Asien-Afrika-Institut, Sprachen und Kulturen Südostasiens): Von Malaysia nach Dubai: Muslimisches Pilgern und Geschlecht. im Kontext von Konsumpraktiken
Policial Science
Political Economy of Development - An Asian Perspective
Dr. Christian von Lübke
The Seminar takes place in the Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institut, Windausstr. 16, 79110 Freiburg. Mondays 4 - 6 pm.
Summary: Asia lends itself well to a comparative analysis of political and socio-economic change. Regional political dynamics - ranging from Indonesia's consolidating democracy, over Malaysia and Singapore's electoral authoritarianism, to Thailand's democratic rollback - provide important insights into the relationship between democracy and development. By drawing on the experience of selected Asian countries (in particular Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, and China), this course will trace historical and institutional underpinnings, explore the characteristics of political agency, and examine regional policies and development outcomes.
During the seminar, students will investigate a range of thematic questions that help to understand the workings of democratic governance and state-society relations - in Asia and beyond. The course combines theoretical and empirical perspectives of democratic change and development. The aim is to introduce students to the diversity of the region and, at the same time, encourage a critical awareness of the forces that drive (or constrain) broad policy reforms and socio-economic development. By the end of the seminar, students will have gained a deeper understanding of contemporary Asian politics and current governance/democracy debates.
