Midterm Exam

Instructions:From 1-5, each of them is 5 points. From 6-9, each of them is 10 points.
No.10 is 25 points.

1. According to Miyazaki, nation states is not a proper unit of analysis.(False)

a. true b. false

2. According to Wang Hui (The Politics of Imaging Asia), Asia must meet two conditions in order
to constitute the starting point of world history.

First, Asia and Europe must be two correlated organic parts of the same historical process.
Second, Asia and Europe must occupy two drastically different stages of this historical
continuum, and the main standard for evaluating these stages must be the state.

3. In “Indonesia’s original sin”, which statement is supported by the author? (b)

a. The killing was due to long-standing conflicts among civilians
b. Army’s continuing use of violence helped to create those landless workers
c. Mass killing was due to the pre-existing conflict between the communist party and its political
rivals
d. none of above

4. Why did Zheng He do the voyage? Please list at least three reasons from the book.
a. To learn more about the world outside of China.
b. To increase trade and get exotic goods.
c. To undertake scientific expeditions.

5.What was the purpose of those analogies and comparisons that Britons drew and made
between domestic and overseas societies, from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries? (Blood
of Government)

The purpose of the analogies and comparisons that the Britons drew was to show the control
over the societies overseas. It showed how the Britons would define race and use it to make them
superior over their overseas counterparts. These ideas and practices that the British were using
were even being passed down through the Americans as they expanded into the Philippines.

6.What is Cultural Studies? Where does it come from? What’s its methodology? Why is it
necessary to have an ‘Inter-Asia Cultural Studies’ beyond simply using a Cultural Studies
approach?

Cultural Studies is the way in which researchers observe and examine the different aspects of a
culture. The roots of cultural studies can be traced back to the developments in postwar Europe
and even to late 19th America. The methodology of cultural studies is a management of all
methodologies and using spreadsheets to organize findings, which helps find the purpose of
studies and which are proper. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies allows people to focus on studying Asia
and help look from the Asian perspective rather from the usually Western perspective.

7.What are the differences and similarities between the two Japanese intellectuals Okakura and
Fukuzawa? What are the main problems, according to the authors, with using the term ‘Asia’ or
‘Asian’?
Fukuzawa believed that Japan should forget Asia and join the ranks of the European and
American Powers. He wanted the westerners to not see Japan as barbaric as their other eastern
Asian countries like China. He believed in a disassociation from Asia and integration with Europe.
Okakura instead believed in Asia being as one. He stressed the commonality of Asian
civilizations valuing its love and beauty that Europe cannot offer. He didn’t concern with how
Japan could survive in the modern world but with how Japan could offer the world values for a
new understanding of civilizations. In other words, Fukuzawa saw the West as good while
Okakura saw it as bad. Both, however, were confronted with opposing relations of East and West,
and both subjugated Asia to symbolizations.

8.What the significance of the petition signed by over 20,000 Hawaiians in 1898? Why is
language very important in revealing the truth?

The Hawaiians believed that their ancestors followed through with the Americans and gave in
with their demands. However, the petitions that were signed by the 20,000 Hawaiians in 1898
showed the present day Hawaiians that there was resistance and that they fought to have their
independence and freedom. It gave modern day Hawaiians a new outlook on their history and
something they could look back and be proud of. Language is very important because the past
Hawaiians recorded their struggles and their thoughts of the Americans in their poetry, songs, etc.
So language is a key that opens a door to the past because much of Hawaiian history wasn’t
recorded anywhere else.

9.What was the cultural significance of the US annexation of the Philippines? How was the
annexation justified in the US? Why would this justification be condemned in today’s international
community?

The significance of the US annexation of the Philippines was that the US tried to incorporate their
culture into the Philippine culture. The Philippines were under control by the Spanish before, and
the Spanish forced them to change their ways and be like them, such as changing religions to
Catholicism. The US was now trying to change this up by incorporating their doctrines into the
Philippines. This was new to the US because this is one of the first territories that were taking by
the US because they originally had a policy of isolationism. So with the annexation of the
Philippines, the views on race were set upon the Filipinos so that the US could take control of
them. They justified the annexation in that the US had its roots in ‘Anglo-Saxons’ heritage. Just
like how the British had a duty to conquer large portions of the earth, the US was just following
that duty. This justification would be condemned because the US today has become its own
country and not completely following the ideals of the original British thought. We gave the
Philippines their independence after World War II, and today the US is more involved in the UN
practice of peacekeeping rather than territorial expansion.

10.How was Modern Asian Culture influenced by the Eurocentrism ideas and practices? Please
give at least 5 examples from the readings we have covered.

In Fukuzawa’s beliefs, Japan should forget about Asia and join the Europeans. Fukuzawa was so
enthralled in the idea of the West that he believed that Japan was far behind in its modernization
and that if they joined the Europeans, then Japan would be in the same ranks as them. It came to
a point where Fukuzawa turned Japan into a symbol that could be removed from its location
despite its geographical location. It became part of Europe in World War II and eventually found
itself shunned by both Asia and Europe after its defeat.

In Indonesia’s Original Sin, the Suharto government tried to kill as many PKI members as
possible. Some thought it was due to a clash between the Suharto government and the
Communists. However, this article focused on how capitalism emerged as a result of these mass
killings. So it seems that because of the Suharto’s government to become capitalistic like the
Europeans, it led them to do these mass killings.
The Americans defeated the Spanish and took over Manila and the rest of the Philippines. The
Americans had this Anglo-Saxon ideal where they looked toward the British on how to expand in
the Philippine territory. They used this to justify their actions, which leads to a connection of
European ideas and practices enforced on the Filipinos through America. The idea of race and
race formation took a huge part in shaping the Philippines. The US used these ideas to take
control of the Philippines and make them superior in their country.

Watsuji Tetsuro was influenced by the Europeans in his philosophies on his distinguished local
conditions. He believed that there were three types of customs and conditions: monsoon, desert,
and pasture. With monsoon, it was considered the fountain from which all things flourish and
grow, which was considered Southeast Asia. Desert threatened the existence of mankind, which
was considered to be Egypt and Arabia. However, pasture was the ideal custom where it went
well with the desires of mankind and was the foundation of science. Tetsuro believed that pasture
was Europe, which shows how influenced the Europeans had on his philosophy.

Okakura was influenced by Europeans in that his ideas were started from the intrusion by the
Europeans. He subjugated Asia to symbolization as a result of the Europeans. Though he may
have believed against the ideals of Europe and having Asia as a symbol of love and beauty,
European ideas still influenced him to pick a road that fought against them. It allowed Okakura to
see the beauty in Asia and to stand by Asia to become one. These ideas opened up Okakura to
believe that Japan had much to offer the world values for a new understanding of civilizations.