ANTHR 3520

Kingship, Nation, and Heritage in Asia

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

In this course, we will study Asia's kingdoms, states, and empires, and how this past is formulated as national heritage in present-day modern Asian states. We examine how Asian states and their royal traditions first came to be, including Hindu, Buddhist, and East Asian kings and emperors, and how the legacy of these glorious pasts is reinterpreted and staged as national heritage. Our examples will include Cambodia's Angkor empire modeled on Indian traditions, as well as Burma, Thailand, Japan, China, and more. We will use readings, films, lectures and in-class student presentations on many topics. The course also serves as a prerequisite to the separate in-country Winter semester course Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia (ANTHR 3590/6590). (ASIAN-SC)

Prerequisites some foundation in either Asian anthropology, archaeology, or history.

Distribution Requirements (D-AG, HA-AG), (HST-AS, SCD-AS)

Program Requirements (ASIAN-SC)

Exploratory Studies (EAAREA, SAAREA)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2024FA, 2018SP, 2012FA

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