MonCAST

Monkayo College of Arts, Sciences and Technology

Academic Year 2021-2022 – Second Semester

COURSE CODE: SSE 112

COURSE TITLE: Asian Studies

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course examines the development perspectives in Asian countries, cultures, and values
as well as issues and challenges, historical roots, and Asian responses. Also, this is designed to
enable students to make comparative study of Asian societies.

COURSE UNITS: 3 Units

COURSE OUTCOMES:
1. Explain the concept of Asia from the point of view of Asians;
2. Discuss the significance of Asia’s environment and natural resources to Asian’s way of life;
3. Analyze how human resources contribute towards improving the economy and the present
society based on development indicators;
4. Analyze the role of language development in shaping Asian culture.
5. Describe the important events in the lives of ancient Asians during the cultural evolution;
6. Express admiration for the great personalities of the civilizations that developed in the
different regions of Asia;
7. Show respect for differences in religion and philosophy among Asians;
8. Give importance to the role played by women in promoting and preserving Asian values;
9. Relate the legacy of ancient Asians to the present time;
10. Examine the reasons behind and the methods of Western colonialism and imperialism in
Asia
11. Determine the implications of colonialism and imperialism on the way of life of Asians;
12. Explain the events that paved the way for the emergence and development of nationalism
in Asia;
13. Discuss the relationship of the different political ideologies of Asian countries;
14. Determine what customs and roles of Asian families have changed and what remained
the same; and
15. Value the Asian contributions in the fields of humanities and sports.
Introduction
Hi! Welcome to Module 5. In this module, you are
going to examine the reasons for and the methods of
Western colonialism and imperialism in Asia. Also, you
are going to explore what imperialism is all about and
why did it become part of the history of most Asian
countries

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

1. Narrate the events that led to the stages of imperialism in Asia;

2. Compare the first stage and second stage of Western colonialism and
imperialism;
3. Discuss the reasons and methods used by the westerners to extend
their power; and
4. Express own view on Western imperialism.

Try This!
Suppose that you
lived in the 13th
century and you
read The Travels of
Marco Polo. As a
Westerner or as an
Asian of this time,
what would have
been your reactions
after reading the
book?
Abstraction

If Asia were to be described before Westerners set foot in the continent in

the 15th century, one might say that it was progressive and prosperous. It was
progressive because Asians continued to enhance and improve the contributions
of ancient civilizations that helped them in their daily lives. Life was prosperous
because of the continent's natural resources that provided the Asians with trade
products. Asian products reached Europe by means of trading which began in as
early as second century B.C.E. Below is a map showing the ancient trade routes.

Launching of Crusades
Upon Pope Urban II's call to the Christians, the Crusades were launched
from 1096 to 1273. Among the objectives of the Crusades was to reclaim
Jerusalem, the holy land of Christians, which had been occupied by Muslims.

As the Cavaliers travelled throughout Asia, they saw the wealth and beauty
of the continent. Their writings about Asia reached Europe, and enticed the
Europeans to travel to the continent.
 Travels of Marco Polo
Marco Polo was the son of Niccolo, a merchant from Venice, Italy. In 1260,
Marco, his father, and his brother Matteo, travelled to the East. They reached
China in 1265, during the reign of Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire. Kublai Khan
and Marco Polo became friends. Kublai Khan gave Marco Polo the opportunity
to serve in his government. Because of the length of his stay in China, Marco Polo
was able to witness the luxury and beauty of the Chinese civilization.

The country's culture, religious traditions, and rich natural resources also
astonished him. Marco Polo's group returned to Europe in 1295. When war erupted
between Venice and Genoa in 1298, they went to Venice to face the enemies.
Marco Polo was captured and imprisoned by the people of Genoa.

While in prison, Marco Polo spoke of his travels to a fellow prisoner,

Rustichello. Few years later, the book titled The Travels of Marco Polo was published.
It was about the wealth and beauty of China, as well as other places in Asia that
Marco Polo visited. It enticed the Europeans to travel to Asia and see for
themselves whether Marco Polo's accounts were true.

Search for a New Trade Route

Even during the ancient times, trade relation already flourished between
Europe and Asia. Asian products such as spices, silk, and precious stones and
minerals like gold, diamonds, and rubies became popular in Europe. There was
also a high demand for salt which was used for food preservation. Constantinople
(present-day Istanbul) played an important role in ancient trade because it
served as a bridge between Asia and Europe. This was where Asian products
passed through on their way to the markets of Europe.

During the 14th and 15th century, the Seljuk Turks occupied a large part of
the eastern Mediterranean region, including Constantinople. The Seljuk Turks
gained control of the trade route from Asia to Europe. This triggered the following
events to take place.
 Age of Exploration and Discovery

The Age of Exploration and Discovery

is said to have begun in 1450 and ended in
1650. It refers to the time when Europeans
started travel-ling to discover new lands
and new trade routes. The European's
discovery of new lands led to the idea of
occupying the places they have reached,
and thus take advantage of the countries'
natural resources. This paved the way for
another important chapter in Asian history-
Western colonialism and imperialism.

The Age of Exploration and Discovery was also bolstered by developments

in seafaring. These developments can be traced in Portugal, under the leadership
of Prince Henry. He put up a navigation school in Sagres Point, Portugal in order
to train the Portuguese in seafaring. He also assembled the most skilled
cartographers to make maps, and improved the equipment used for navigation.

During Prince Henry's reign, Portuguese sailors reached lands that no other
Europeans have gone before. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias reached the edge of
Africa. This was named Cape of Good Hope, signifying their hope of achieving
their goal of discovering new lands. Meanwhile, Vasco da Gama discovered a
new route to Asia on May 27, 1498. He reached Calicut (present-day Kerala) on
the western shores of India.
 Belief in Mercantilism
During the 16th century, mercantilism emerged as a gauge by which a
country's progress was measured. Mercantilism is a theory that maintains that the
true measure of a country's wealth was the total amount of gold and silver it
possessed. European countries amassed gold and silver by exporting more
products than they were importing. Because of this, it became important for the
government to control external trade in order to guarantee the security of the
state.
This included acquiring as many colonies, prohibiting colonies from trading
countries other than their colonizer, and increasing wealth by amassing gold and
silver. Colonies played an important role in mercantilism. They were expected to
contribute to the wealth of European countries through their gold and silver mines.
Products from Asian colonies, such as spices, were also important.

The aforementioned events and situation in Europe paved the way for the
Europeans' voyage to Asia. Because of this, the Europeans saw that they could
benefit from the natural resources and products of Asia. The Europeans' belief in
mercantilism led to the participation of Europe and Asia into the Age of
Imperialism.
Imperialism in Asia was divided into two stages. The first stage happened
during the 16th and 17th century, while the second stage happened during the
18th and 19th century.
 During the first stage of Western imperialism, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain,
Netherlands, and France directly competed for the lands of Asia. This form of
imperialism which dominated in Asia during this period is called colonialism.

What is colonialism? In the European context, colonialism refers to the

process wherein Europeans stay and wield political power over a large part of the
world, including America, Australia, and parts of Africa and Asia. Through
colonialism, colonizers were able to impose policies upon and rule over the
people and places they occupied-their colonies. The Europeans made changes
to the social, political, and economic structures of their colonies. Their rights and
interests took precedence over the welfare of their colonies' native population.
The motives of the Western colonialism of Asia may be summarized into three
objectives.

The Europeans greatly benefited from their colonies in Africa and Asia. In
Asia, the southern and southeastern part of the continent experienced the first
stage of Western imperialism. The changes that occurred in Europe and America,
and the European's persistent desire to expand their territory led to the second
stage of Western imperialism during the 18th and the 19th century. Eventually,
other parts of Asia were also subjected to imperialism. Why did Western
imperialism persisted in Asia until the 19th century? Analyze the following reasons.

Industrialization
An important event in the history of the world happened during the 18th
century-the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution refers
to the mass production of goods with the use of machines. It began in England
and spread to other countries in Europe and South America. This led to greater
demand for raw materials from Asia.

Because of the Industrial Revolution, capitalism reigned. Capitalism is an

economic system characterized by private ownership of capital and free
competition in the market. The competition among the Westerners' brought
about the challenge in finding new sources of raw materials. Asia's wealth of
natural resources caused the Westerners to keep their control over their colonies
in continent.
 Capitalism
It was important for the Westerners to maintain their colonies in Asia. Asia
was considered an important source of profit under the system of capitalism. The
Westerners used their excess capital to boost the productivity of agricultural lands
and mines in Asia, while also improving the natives' lives.

White Man's Burden

The Westerners held themselves in high esteem. They considered their
civilization better and more advanced than the Asian civilization. Thus, they
believed that it was their duty to spread their civilization to the rest of the world. In
order to carry out this duty, they began occupying lands. The Westerners sent
teachers, priests, doctors, and administrators to their colonies in order to fulfill this
duty, which the English poet Rudyard Kipling called the “white man's burden. ”The
Westerners used the concept of white man's burden to justify their occupation of
Asian countries.
 Application: Cause and Effect

Instructions: Explain the results and effects of the following events and concepts
to the lives of Asians and Westerners. Cite specific examples. You
can write your answers in 3-5 sentences.

Belief in Asian To the Asians:

Principles
To the Westerners:

White Man’s To the Asians:

Burden
To the Westerners:

Development of To the Asians:

Facilities Navigation
To the Westerners:

Industrial To the Asians:

Revolution
To the Westerners:

Closure

Congratulations! You have completed the Module 5!

“Sometimes later becomes never, do it now!”