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| Asian Perspectives | |
|---|---|
| Name | Asian Perspectives |
| Caption | Overview of Asian cultural, philosophical, and historical viewpoints |
| Author | Multiple scholars |
| Country | Asia |
| Language | English and regional languages |
| Subject | Asian studies |
| Genre | Reference |
Asian Perspectives
Asian Perspectives surveys the diverse intellectual, cultural, and historical viewpoints that have emerged across the Asian continent and its diasporas. It examines how traditions from regions such as East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia intersect with events like the Silk Road, the Opium Wars, and the Indian Rebellion of 1857 to shape local and transnational understandings. The study draws on sources ranging from the Analects and the Mahabharata to the writings surrounding the Treaty of Nanking and the aftermath of the Partition of India.
"Asian Perspectives" encompasses viewpoints originating in or about places including China, India, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and diasporic communities in Singapore and Hong Kong. It covers traditions associated with texts such as the Tao Te Ching, the Dhammapada, the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, and the I Ching, as well as artistic productions tied to the Noh theater, Kabuki, Kathak, Wayang, and the Persian miniature. The scope includes interactions forged via routes like the Maritime Silk Road and episodes such as the Mongol Empire expansion, the British Raj, and the Meiji Restoration.
Historical development traces continuity from ancient centers such as Chang'an, Pataliputra, Angkor, and Samarkand through medieval networks exemplified by the Hanseatic League-era contacts and early modern encounters like the Age of Discovery. Colonial episodes involving the Dutch East India Company, the British East India Company, and the French Protectorate of Indochina reshaped regional elites and legal orders after treaties such as the Treaty of Versailles and arrangements following the Treaty of Tientsin. Twentieth-century transformations include decolonization after World War II, state formation influenced by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sun Yat-sen, Imperial Japan’s policies, revolutions such as the Chinese Communist Revolution, and Cold War alignments epitomized by the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Philosophical and religious traditions span schools like Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, and movements such as Neo-Confucianism and Bodhidharma-influenced Chan. Texts and figures include the Analects, the Tao Te Ching, the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Hadiths, philosophers like Zhuangzi, Nagarjuna, Adi Shankaracharya, Ibn Sina, and reformers such as Rumi and Al-Ghazali. Interactions among these traditions appear in syncretic sites like Tibet and the Nagasaki port, in missionary encounters involving Jesuit China missions and reform debates around the Young Turks and the Indian National Congress.
Cultural expressions include literature from authors such as Li Bai, Rabindranath Tagore, Murasaki Shikibu, Nguyen Du, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, and Orhan Pamuk; visual arts like ukiyo-e, Persian miniature, Mughal painting, and Buddhist sculpture; musical forms such as gamelan, Sitar performance, Peking opera, and Korean pansori; and performance traditions including Kathakali, Noh, and Balinese dance. Cinematic developments reference studios and movements tied to Hong Kong cinema, Japanese New Wave, Indian parallel cinema, and festivals like the Cannes Film Festival where films by Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, and Wong Kar-wai gained recognition. Urban cultures in Tokyo, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, and Istanbul reflect architectural lineages from Forbidden City layouts to colonial-era edifices such as the Victoria Memorial.
Political and economic perspectives examine statecraft and policy traditions influenced by entities like the Tokugawa shogunate, the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and modern institutions such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Economic histories consider trade networks led by the Sultanate of Malacca, the Song dynasty's commercial innovations, mercantile activities by the Portuguese Empire, and twentieth-century development models exemplified by the East Asian Miracle and the Non-Aligned Movement. Contemporary debates engage policymakers tied to administrations in Beijing, New Delhi, Islamabad, Ankara, and Riyadh over issues shaped by agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and regional security dialogues following incidents such as the Kargil conflict.
Comparative and interdisciplinary approaches bring together scholarship from centers like SOAS University of London, Harvard-Yenching Institute, National University of Singapore, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Peking University. Methods range from philological work on manuscripts in collections like the Dunhuang manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls (for comparative textuality) to archaeological projects at Harappa, Lothal, Angkor Wat, and Tepe Hissar. Fields intersecting in this study include legal histories referencing the Code of Hammurabi for comparative law, intellectual histories linked to the Enlightenment and regional reformers, and environmental studies tracing irrigation systems from the Qanat networks to the Grand Anicut. Cross-cultural research often employs perspectives shaped by scholars such as Max Weber in dialogue with regional theorists like Rabindranath Tagore and Liang Qichao.