State and Politics in East Asia

3 credits

This course is class-restricted to juniors, seniors, and graduates students only. This seminar focuses on the state-building processes of East Asian countries - including China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam - and examines their distinctive trajectories toward modern nation-statehood. Using an institutionalist approach, we will explore how political elites in 19th- and early 20th-century East Asia sought to establish centralized bureaucracies, manage and oversee local authorities, develop nationwide tax regimes, consolidate control over ethnic minorities and frontier territories, and foster nationalism and national identities. Additionally, we will analyze how these state-building efforts continue to shape the political landscape of contemporary Asia.