Asian History and Institutions

The first unit will analyze the events that led to the emergence of India and Pakistan and the disputes that since then have divided them, mostly related to the Kashmiri issue. These disputes are analysed within their regional context and in light of internal challenges, with a focus on ethnic and religious tensions. Bilateral relations will be analysed also in the context of the Afghan crisis, which will be the object of the last lectures of the 1st unit.

The second unit will focus on the contemporary history of China, from the decline of the Qing Empire in the XIX century to the present. The Chinese "short XX century" and the challenges that the Country faces today will be presented in the wider context of East Asia and South Asia. In particular, the course will consider the diplomatic and economic relations with Japan. The aim of the course is to provide insights into the political, economic and cultural dimensions of the Chinese path to modernity.

The third unit will examine political, diplomatic, economic and cultural aspects of contemporary history of Japan, from the late nineteenth-century expansionism, the Empire defeat in 1945, the reconstruction and economic boom years, until the recent quest for a new Japanese identity. This unit will consider the changing role of Japan in East Asia, with attention to China and the Korean peninsula in a comparative perspective.