Islam is a major element in Southeast Asian affairs, though academically neglected. Muslims are the largest religious community in Southeast Asia, comprising about 45% of the region’s population, and Islam is critical to understanding political, security and cultural developments. This course will survey the diverse Muslim societies in the region and examine the complex historical, and cultural ties between them. It will consider the role of ‘external’ forces in shaping Muslim life in Southeast Asia as well as considering in what ways regional Islam may be distinctive from other parts of the Muslim world.
We will give particular attention to a number of issues: (1) the political consequences of Islamization in Indonesia and Malaysia, particularly on democracy and state-religion relations; (2) the role of Islam in various insurgencies, such as those in Aceh, southern Thailand, and the southern Philippines; (3) the dynamics of extremism and terrorism; and (4) Islam’s influence on regional diplomacy. In discussing these issues, we will critically assess the literature on the politics of Southeast Asian Islam and the cultural and theoretical assumptions which underlie it.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Students will gain knowledge of key events, organisations and trends in Southeast Asian Islam, and contending interpretations of them. They will particularly develop skills in critical reading of both primary and secondary source texts.
Indicative Assessment
Seminar Participation – 10%
Reading Comments (4 in total; 500-700 words each) – 20%
Main Essay of 3000 words – 40%
Examination – 30%
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
Greg Fealy and Virginia Hooker (eds), Voices of Islam in Southeast Asia: A Contemporary Sourcebook, ISEAS, Singapore, 2006.
Gordon Means, Political Islam in Southeast Asia, Reinner, Boulder, 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 |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $2958 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $4350 |
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.
