Lost in Translation: Redefining Identity in Colonial Southeast Asia

Abstract: In the kingdoms of 19th century Southeast Asia, the imposition of European colonialism posed a catastrophic challenge to traditional cultures. Efforts to map and define territory, count and categorize people, and assign meaning to local historical relics led, in some cases, to a dramatic reenvisioning of each nation's past.  By redefining the contexts  in which Southeast Asian subjects understood both themselves and one another, and by hastening the transformation of indigenous peoples from subjects to global citizens, European colonizers dramatically altered the path of Southeast Asia's 20th century. Drawing upon specific case studies from Siam (Thailand), Vietnam, Burma, and Cambodia, this presentation introduces various ways of discussing the intersections of colonialism and identity in both colonized and colonizing states.  It focuses particularly upon ways to introduce these concepts in World history and Asian history survey classes, thereby enhancing student understanding of colonialism, nationalism, and the many nuances and complexities of the post-colonial world