Southeast Asia is home to 260 million Muslims, the largest religious community in the region. This course will survey the diverse political expressions of this community, describing and analysing key movements, events and figures as well as the involvement of Islamic groups in regional conflicts and terrorism. A number of broader issues will be addressed, including:
1. The nature of the interaction between external Islamic sources and local religio-cultural traditions, both historically and contemporaneously;
2. The role of Islam in regional insurgencies such as those in southern Thailand, the southern Philippines, Singapore and western Myanmar/Burma;
3. The dynamics of radicalisation and terrorism;
4. The impact of accelerated Islamisation upon political Islam and the state in Malaysia and Indonesia; and
5. The influence of Islam on regional diplomacy.
In addition, the course will foster close analysis of primary source texts as well as critical engagement with the scholarly literature on Southeast Asian Islam.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the skills and knowledge to:
1. Analyse the major political, security and cultural developments relating to Southeast Asian Islam as well as show knowledge of key organisations, movements, figures and trends in the region's Muslim societies.
2. Understand the major scholarly approaches to the study of Southeast Asian Islam.
3. Critically engage with primary and secondary source materials and develop independent interpretations.
4. Effectively communicate knowledge about Southeast Asian Islam to diverse audiences in a clear and balanced manner.
Indicative Assessment
Reading Comments (3x700 words) - commentaries on key readings - 30% [LO1, 2, 3]Main Research Essay (3000 words) - 40% [LO1-4]
Take-Home examination (2000 words) - 30% [LO1,2,4]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Students will be expected to do two to four hours preparation for the weekly seminars. In addition to reading a number of contrasting scholarly texts, English-language primary source materials written by Southeast Asian Muslims will often be included in the reading lists.
Prescribed Texts
Liow, Joseph Chinyong, Religion and nationalism in Southeast Asia, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2016.Greg Fealy and Virginia Hooker (eds), Voices of Islam in Southeast Asia: A Contemporary Sourcebook, ISEAS, Singapore, 2006.
Preliminary Reading
Federspiel, Howard M., Sultans, Shamans and Saints: Islam and Muslims in Southeast Asia, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2007 (cheaper edition republished by Silkworm Books, Chiangmai, 2008)
Assumed Knowledge
This course assumes no prior knowledge of Islam or Southeast Asian politics, nor does is require any vernacular language skills. All texts are in English and the assessment is based primarily on demonstrated knowledge of and ability to critically engage with the weekly readings.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $3840 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $5460 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
