OVERVIEW

The teaching aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the main aspects and historiographical issues concerning the political, cultural, and international transformations of the Indo-Pacific area in the contemporary age, with a thematic focus on Japan and its role at both regional and global levels between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with the fundamental knowledge and methodological tools necessary to orient themselves in the institutional, cultural and political-international history of Indo-Pacific Asia between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and frame its transformations within the global developments of the contemporary age. The course will be structured in frontal lessons with the involvement of students in the discussion of some specific themes and a final assessment via oral exam.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The overall aim of the teaching is to introduce students to the analysis of the historical processes that shaped Indo-Pacific Asia in the contemporary age and to provide them with the tools to contextualize the trajectories of its main component countries (China, Korea, Japan, India, Southeast Asia) within regional and global perspectives. Through its thematic focus on Japan, the teaching also aims to provide in-depth knowledge of Japanese political, social, and cultural history from 1853 to 1945, enabling students to understand the reciprocal transformative interactions between Japan, the other areas of Indo-Pacific Asia, and the major actors of global politics.

In particular, by the end of the course students will be able to:

- Orient themself in the broader transformations of the Indo-Pacific and, more specifically, the history of Japan between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, situating them within the wider political, economic, and social developments of the modern era;

- Compare Japan’s historical trajectories with those of other Indo-Pacific countries and frame them within a global perspective;

- Acquire familiarity with the terminology and sources that characterize the history of Indo-Pacific Asia;

- Identify the main historiographical issues related to the transformations of the Indo-Pacific space in the contemporary age, particularly with regard to Japan’s rise as a great power;

- Critically analyze the categories of “East/West” and the geopolitical, economic, and civilizational significance of the concept of “Indo-Pacific space”;

- Develop communication and critical analysis skills through open discussion during lectures;

- Apply the knowledge and methodological tools acquired during the teaching to further individual research activities on topics related to Indo-Pacific Asia or its countries.

PREREQUISITES

No specific prerequisites are required. However, a basic knowledge of modern and contemporary Euro-American history is recommended.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching will be delivered in person through lectures. Attendance is not compulsory but is strongly recommended. PowerPoint presentations and other audiovisual materials will be used.

For students with disabilities or specific learning disabilities (SLD).

Students with disabilities or SLD are reminded that in order to request adaptations during the exam, they must first enter the certification on the University website at servizionline.unige.it in the "Students" section. The documentation will be verified by the University's Services Sector for the inclusion of students with disabilities and SLD (https://rubrica.unige.it/strutture/struttura/100111).

Subsequently, well in advance (at least 10 days) of the exam date, an email must be sent to the teacher with whom the exam will be taken, copying both the School Contact Teacher for the inclusion of students with disabilities and SLD (Elisabetta.Colagrossi@unige.it) and the Sector indicated above. In the email, it is necessary to specify:

-    the name of the course;

 -   the date of the exam;

 -   the student's surname, name and matriculation number;

 -   the compensatory tools and dispensatory measures deemed functional and required.

The contact person will confirm to the teacher that the applicant has the right to request adaptations during the exam and that such adaptations must be agreed with the teacher. The teacher will respond by communicating whether it is possible to use the requested adaptations.

Requests must be sent at least 10 days before the exam date in order to allow the teacher to evaluate the content. In particular, in the case in which you intend to use concept maps for the exam (which must be much more concise than the maps used for studying), if the sending does not respect the expected times there will not be the technical time necessary to make any changes.

For further information on the request for services and adaptations, please consult the document: https://unige.it/sites/unige.it/files/2024-05/Linee%20guida%20per%20la%20richiesta%20di%20servizi%2C%20di%20strumenti%20compensativi%20e_o%20di%20misure%20dispensative%20e%20di%20ausili%20specifici%20Maggio%202024.pdf

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course will be structured around the presentation and discussion of the following topics:

- Origins and meanings of the concept of “Indo-Pacific space”

- Endogenous and exogenous transformations in Indo-Pacific Asia between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

- The end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji Restoration

- Institutional, economic, and social transformations in Meiji-era Japan

- Regional dimension and global impact of Japanese expansionism between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

- Japan’s rise as a historiographical issue

- The First World War and its consequences for the domestic and international situation of Indo-Pacific countries

- Political, social, and intellectual developments in Japan during the 1910s and 1920s

- Japan’s authoritarian turn in the 1930s: domestic crises, international conflicts, and global phenomena

- The ideology of Japanese militarism between ultranationalism and Pan-Asianism

- The “long” Second World War in the Indo-Pacific space

- Indo-Pacific Asia after World War II: decolonization and new power balances

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

For attending students:

Enrica Collotti Pischel, Storia dell'Asia Orientale 1850-1949, Carocci, 2008

Andrea Revelant, Il Giappone moderno dall’Ottocento al 1945, Einaudi, 2018 (chapters 2, 3, 4, 6, 7)

For non-attending students:

Enrica Collotti Pischel, Storia dell'Asia Orientale 1850-1949, Carocci, 2008

Andrea Revelant, Il Giappone moderno dall’Ottocento al 1945, Einaudi, 2018

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

NICOLA BASSONI (President)

GURI SCHWARZ

FRANCESCO CASSATA (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

September 22, 2025

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam

ASSESSMENT METHODS

During the oral exam (ca. 20 minutes), students will be asked to answer a series of open-ended questions on the course topics, demonstrating adequate knowledge of the subject, command of terminology, clarity of exposition, and critical thinking. Particular emphasis will be placed on the ability to situate specific topics within the broader framework of regional historical developments (Indo-Pacific Asia) and/or in a global perspective.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Slides and further teaching materials will be shared on aulaweb.