Course Overview

This course explores archaeological cultural heritage in East and Southeast Asia and how material remains of past human behavior in this broad region play an active role in shaping human perceptions of self and others in the present day. Archaeological cultural heritage as an academic field and as a profession is rapidly evolving in East and SE Asia, with governmental policy making, political motivations such as nation-building and nationalistic agendas, globalization, economic expansion and development, and many other factors shaping choices for how and why archaeological sites, objects, architecture, and landscapes are preserved, protected, and presented. This course will focus on these political roles of archaeological cultural heritage and examine them in conceptual and theoretical terms using a necessarily anthropological, interdisciplinary approach with models and methods from archaeology, critical museology, material cultural theory, postcolonial theory, and memory studies, among others. Case studies from around East and Southeast Asia, including Taiwan, mainland China, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, and Malaysia will serve to provide insight into the relationship between archaeological heritage and nationalism and allow us to explore such related issues as the domination of Eurocentrism in heritage practice and theory (and see new alternatives arising); heritage's role in identity and ideology; contested ownership; commodification and value; memorialization and "dark heritage" (e.g., post-conflict or post-trauma sites); indigenous and minority rights and stakeholding; the impact of looting and the illicit antiquities trade; and heritage tourism.




This course is open to upper-level undergraduates and MA students (學士班高年級及碩士班). This course is conducted in English, with English-language readings and written assignments.

Learning Achievement

This seminar-style course will familiarize upper-level undergraduate and Masters students with current issues in archaeological cultural heritage in East and Southeast Asia. Through case studies from the region, students will become familiar with key concepts and issues in the region and gain a critical understanding of the interrelationships between political motivations in the present and the reconstruction and presentation of the archaeological past(s) as cultural heritage.

Competence

Course prerequisites

*Restrict to 3rd-year and above and graduate students.

Grading Philosophy

Course schedule

Course type

Online Course Requirement

Instructor

David Cohen

Other information

Department of Anthropology,
Graduate Institute of Anthropology

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