Many courses assume the nation-state as the initial unit of analysis and inquiry, but this course asks: What happens when we turn our focus to borders and borderlands? This course shifts to look at margins and borders in order to understand the broader (sub) and (supra) state historic, economic, cultural, and political processes throughout the region of Mainland Southeast Asia, including narcotics production and transfer, and other illicit economies. This course is divided into two major parts: first, we will examine transnational historic processes which are themselves transgressive of state boundaries, and second, we will look at the ways in which borders themselves are mobilized as part of the state's assertion of sovereignty over geography, however incomplete this might be.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Develop a critical analysis on how to approach historical and cultural processes in Mainland Southeast Asia outside the framework of the nation-state.
- Evaluate historical events and political crises according to borderlands approaches.
- Combine conventional understandings of commodity relationships to describe the international narcotics trade and the role of the borderlands.
- Demonstrate collaborative learning skills in group discussions
- Develop and problematise an original research question related to course materials
Indicative Assessment
- Discussion, Participation and Reading Presentations (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Short Essay 1 (1,000 words) (20) [LO 1,2]
- Essay 2 (1,500words) (20) [LO 1,3]
- Independent Research Paper (2,500 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,5]
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
This course requires a total of 130 hrs of work on the following activities: attending, lectures, tutorial, preparing in-class presentations, reviewing, and independent study.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
n/a
Preliminary Reading
1. Pinkaew Luangaramsri. 2003. "Ethnicity and the politics of ethnic classification in Thailand" in Mackerras, Colin, ed. Ethnicity in Asia. London: Routledge. pp. 157-173.
2. Niti Pawakapan. 2006. "Once were Burmese Shans: Reinventing Ethnic Identity in Northwestern Thailand" in Horstmann and Wadley. Centering the Margin: Agency and Narrative in Southeast Asian Borderlands. New York: Berghahn. pp 27-52.
3. Tagliacozzo, Eric. 2001. “Border Permeability and the State in Southeast Asia: Contraband and Regional Security” Contemporary Southeast Asia. 23 (2) pp 254- 274.
4. Chang, Wen-Chin. 2013. “The everyday politics of the underground trade in Burma by the Yunnanese Chinese since the Burmese socialist era.” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 44(2) 292-314. june
5. McCoy, Alfred W. 2000. “Coercion and its unintended consequences: A study of heroin trafficking in Southeast and South West Asia,” Crime Law and Social Change.33(3): 191-224.
6. Seltzer, Alexandra. 2013. “Human trafficking: the case of Burmese refugees in Thailand” International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice. 37(4)
7. Farzana, Kazi Fahmida. 2015. “Boundaries in Shaping the Rohingya Identity and the Shifting Context of Borderland Politics” Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism. 15 (2): 292-314.
8. Malkki, Liisa H. 1995. “Refugees and Exile: From “Refugee Studies” to the National Order of Things.” Annual Review of Anthropology. 24.
9. Star, Heather Marie. 2015. “Hiding Behind the Humanitarian Label: Refugees, Repatriates, and the Rebuilding of America’s Benevolent Image After the Vietnam War”Diplomatic History. 39(2).
10. Roszko, Edyta. 2015. “Maritime territorialisation as performance of sovereignty and nationhood in the South China Sea” Nations and Nationalism. 21(2): 230-249.
11. Sasges, Gerard. 2016. “Absent Maps, Marine Science, and the Reimagination of the South China Sea, 1922 - 1939.” The Journal of Asian Studies. 75(1)
Assumed Knowledge
Prior study of Southeast Asia is desirable, but not required.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you 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). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found 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 |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $5280 |
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.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8690 | 22 Jul 2024 | 29 Jul 2024 | 31 Aug 2024 | 25 Oct 2024 | In Person | N/A |
