....It starts.
I've got my first final in ten minutes. I am woefully under-prepared, it's embarrassing. If I do well on this test I'm not sure which God I ought to give thanks to. All of them at this point. It wasn't like I didn't know what would be on my Pre-Modern Asia final. We found out back at the midterm.
Failure at being a student? ✓
ETA: AND DONE. I already know I got three questions wrong on the 30 multiple choice, however, I still averaged a 90 on that section. It's the essay portion that drives me nuts. Ugh. At best, I'm hoping for 65/75 on both of them.
Here is why:
Compare and Contrast Sinification in Korea and Japan
While Japan and Korea share many of the same cultural influences from China, they are both unique in how they gained these traits and how they utilized them. Chinese influence in Korea, for example, arrived much earlier than it did in Japan. However, both countries sought out ways to emulate the 'perfection' they saw in the Chinese government and way of life and by the time of the Mongol invasions were heavily steeped in Chinese culture and ingratiated to the Chinese way of life.
Korea, based on geographic location, had little choice in whether they wished to adopt Chinese traits or not. Fortunately, the Korean's had a well-formed culture well before the Han dynasty took control around 200CE. With the Han dynasty came Chinese ideals and culture that funneled into the country, even during the period of the Three Kingdoms, Chinese influence continued to spread through all parts of Korea, bringing art, religion, style of government and writing. As Chinese control and influence spread through Korea, it too began to funnel into Japan across the straits. The key difference between Korean signification and Japanese begins to become clear when one looks at how welcomed these changes are. Prince Shotoku of Japan became fascinated with Chinese superiority and sent scholars over to learn as much about the Chinese culture and their form of government as they could. Japan willingly wanted to model itself after the greater country as their own country suffered from a lack of definitive culture and a steady form of government, especially during the Taika Reforms where there was a wholesale move to reform the countries government to emulate the Chinese, adopting both Chinese law code and a centralized government.
Kanji was adopted in Korea only to be tossed aside in favor of Hangul, a much simpler language, as the dominant language since Kanji conflicted too much with the spoken language of the Koreans. The Japanese, too, took on Kanji, but unlike the Koreans, they attempted to use it, substituting in more phonetic characters (Kana) at a later date. However Kana got used by upper class women of the Heian period who wrote the only stories to be had from this time period in Japan. Language, though, was not the only practice Korea and Japan both copied.
China's strong central government interested both Korean and Japanese rulers. Heian Japan, especially, emulated the Tang Dynasty, copying their capital city, Chang'an, at a smaller, but no less grand, scale at Nara. In Korea, in contrast to Japan, along with making an excellent replication of the checkerboard layout for their capital city, they also saw the civil service examinations as a wonderful idea. Unlike the Chinese, Korea and Japan maintained their aristocracy. For Korean's this meant only those of noble birth were allowed to sit through the exams. The Confucian influence, while strong, also was not as heavily pushed in Korea until the Yi dynasty, when the greatest clamor to adopt Chinese lifestyles occurred, and that made the exams differ slightly from the Chinese, though they still relied mainly on the Confucian classics to provide the questions. The Japanese had no such exams but they too, like Korea, maintained their aristocracy and only the aristocracy could hold government and military positions. The lack of exams did not prohibit the spread of Confucianism and it's arrival in Japan eliminated the possibility of any future queens as Japan of old had. Unlike in Korea and China, the emperor of Japan held a mostly symbolic position, and the Shogun were given most of the day-to-day power over the people.
Buddhism spread from China into Korea and then into Japan from Korea in 552CE. The Japanese liked Zen Buddhism because it fit in nicely with the nature worship of the Shinto religion. Art also spread through Korea into Japan. Korean's, particularly, excelled at making celadon pottery, a type of cracked glaze and a specific way of firing it to gain that result, going so far as to surpass the Chinese in terms of quality and production. In Japan, the artwork and architecture was frequently similar to the Chinese, however, the Japanese used much less color in their artwork to make it appear more simplistic and natural. Everything was more monochromatic and rock gardens flourished as a result.
Japan emulated China more closely than its immediate neighbor, Korea, though Korea had a closer bond with Japan. Korean's had a stronger sense of independence which they fought for frequently, once even driving back the forces of the Tang dynasty in order to preserve their own culture and government. However similar Korean and Japanese signification was, the differences were noticeable and the outcomes for both countries was different as well.
How did gender affect Pre-Modern Asian history? How do the different Asian societies compare? Are their any similarities to the rest of the world? Discuss.
It is hard to discuss gender roles in Asia without paying particular attention to the differences in experiences. In India and China, women were submissive to men, while in Southeast Asia women had a greater deal of influence and power. What can be said, is while, eventually, the majority of Asia subscribed to the philosophy that women were worth less than men, most of Asia began as a matriarchal society.
The greatest change to these matriarchal societies was the sudden influence of religious sects promoting the vitality of men and the submissive quality of women. A good example of this would be the arrival of Confucianism in Japan. Before Confucius principals arrived, Japan had at least one to two empresses, but the driving morals of Confucian text places men in the position of power and soon it was impossible for women to hold such a high ranking standing within the government. It ought to be noted that all Japanese emperors are "direct descendants" of the sun goddess, Amatersu's, grandson Ninigi. Regardless, women in Japan lost any of the control they had once Japan narrowed its focus on Chinese superiority and way of life. As in Japan, Korean women had a large amount of agency. Before Confucius influence, Korean women had the ability to remarry without consequence, maintain property, and husbands frequently moved in with their wives to live. In large part, Southeast Asia did not follow this route and Confucian principles did not take hold there.
In traditional Asia, it was common for women of poor families to be sold off as concubines or servants as they had little else in terms of prospects. Occasionally, female children would be killed if there was little food because their lives were worth less to the family. When girls were not being sold off to richer men as concubines they were being married off instead and subject to the whims and wishes of their mother-in-law. The only chance of escape for many of these girls was suicide. Divorce was rare and remarriage was even more unheard of. Women were expected to remain faithful to their dead husbands, even if they were left destitute. To prove this fidelity they would commit sati, a ritualized form of suicide by pyre.
Of all the harsh and unfair treatment given women, in Pre-Modern Asia, the Chinese practice of footbinding leaves one both outraged and fascinated. First, the bones of the toes were broken and then they were reset with strongly wrapped bandages with the ultimate goal of having a three-inch foot. This practice can be seen in two different ways, one it was a mean of control by both men and women. Men never forced women to break their feet, it was often a female relative who forced the procedure because men would like it. However, having these perfect feet also could be seen as a means of empowerment and social climbing.
There were certain periods of time, however, when women had a little more control. Mughal India, for example, saw women gain a greater influence over government affairs through their husbands and had much more power, despite Islamic policies. The Taj Mahal, one of the greatest architectural structures in the world, was built as a tomb for the wife of the emperor Shah Jahan as a romantic gesture. In Heian Japan, upper class ladies were the ones who were writing the stories that would later become famous today.
Gender inequality existed in all parts of the world, not just in Asia. At the same time these gender inequalities grew into existence in Asia, to were they being experienced in the Western world. Women in the western world had no power over property, they could not ask for divorce, and the most powerful of these women, only had that power through marriage to a prominent male figure, or through their father. Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth I of England were lucky enough to have a father who was unable to produce a son that lived long enough to remain king. However, it was their birth station that let them feel any sort of power, and Queen Mary was executed not long into her reign.
To say that gender did not hold any affect on the shape of Asian history, or even world history, would be ignoring the fact that, for the largest part of history, it was men controlling what was written about and what occurred. Half the population, perhaps even more when one brings in class issues, were summarily dismissed as having no profound effect on history until quite recently. Women were subjected to men's will and control, not just by men, but frequently by women as well. It was a self-perpetuating system until quite recently at the turn of the 20th century for much of the world, barring Asia who did not have women's rights until the later part of the century. These inequalities of gender played a great and powerful role in the shape of Asian and world history, and that there are commanlities amongst Asian society speaks of the trade of ideas and values, and how easily one society can influence another.
The moral of this tale? Never get me started about gender at 8:30 in the morning on three hours of sleep. XD
Failure at being a student? ✓
ETA: AND DONE. I already know I got three questions wrong on the 30 multiple choice, however, I still averaged a 90 on that section. It's the essay portion that drives me nuts. Ugh. At best, I'm hoping for 65/75 on both of them.
Here is why:
Compare and Contrast Sinification in Korea and Japan
While Japan and Korea share many of the same cultural influences from China, they are both unique in how they gained these traits and how they utilized them. Chinese influence in Korea, for example, arrived much earlier than it did in Japan. However, both countries sought out ways to emulate the 'perfection' they saw in the Chinese government and way of life and by the time of the Mongol invasions were heavily steeped in Chinese culture and ingratiated to the Chinese way of life.
Korea, based on geographic location, had little choice in whether they wished to adopt Chinese traits or not. Fortunately, the Korean's had a well-formed culture well before the Han dynasty took control around 200CE. With the Han dynasty came Chinese ideals and culture that funneled into the country, even during the period of the Three Kingdoms, Chinese influence continued to spread through all parts of Korea, bringing art, religion, style of government and writing. As Chinese control and influence spread through Korea, it too began to funnel into Japan across the straits. The key difference between Korean signification and Japanese begins to become clear when one looks at how welcomed these changes are. Prince Shotoku of Japan became fascinated with Chinese superiority and sent scholars over to learn as much about the Chinese culture and their form of government as they could. Japan willingly wanted to model itself after the greater country as their own country suffered from a lack of definitive culture and a steady form of government, especially during the Taika Reforms where there was a wholesale move to reform the countries government to emulate the Chinese, adopting both Chinese law code and a centralized government.
Kanji was adopted in Korea only to be tossed aside in favor of Hangul, a much simpler language, as the dominant language since Kanji conflicted too much with the spoken language of the Koreans. The Japanese, too, took on Kanji, but unlike the Koreans, they attempted to use it, substituting in more phonetic characters (Kana) at a later date. However Kana got used by upper class women of the Heian period who wrote the only stories to be had from this time period in Japan. Language, though, was not the only practice Korea and Japan both copied.
China's strong central government interested both Korean and Japanese rulers. Heian Japan, especially, emulated the Tang Dynasty, copying their capital city, Chang'an, at a smaller, but no less grand, scale at Nara. In Korea, in contrast to Japan, along with making an excellent replication of the checkerboard layout for their capital city, they also saw the civil service examinations as a wonderful idea. Unlike the Chinese, Korea and Japan maintained their aristocracy. For Korean's this meant only those of noble birth were allowed to sit through the exams. The Confucian influence, while strong, also was not as heavily pushed in Korea until the Yi dynasty, when the greatest clamor to adopt Chinese lifestyles occurred, and that made the exams differ slightly from the Chinese, though they still relied mainly on the Confucian classics to provide the questions. The Japanese had no such exams but they too, like Korea, maintained their aristocracy and only the aristocracy could hold government and military positions. The lack of exams did not prohibit the spread of Confucianism and it's arrival in Japan eliminated the possibility of any future queens as Japan of old had. Unlike in Korea and China, the emperor of Japan held a mostly symbolic position, and the Shogun were given most of the day-to-day power over the people.
Buddhism spread from China into Korea and then into Japan from Korea in 552CE. The Japanese liked Zen Buddhism because it fit in nicely with the nature worship of the Shinto religion. Art also spread through Korea into Japan. Korean's, particularly, excelled at making celadon pottery, a type of cracked glaze and a specific way of firing it to gain that result, going so far as to surpass the Chinese in terms of quality and production. In Japan, the artwork and architecture was frequently similar to the Chinese, however, the Japanese used much less color in their artwork to make it appear more simplistic and natural. Everything was more monochromatic and rock gardens flourished as a result.
Japan emulated China more closely than its immediate neighbor, Korea, though Korea had a closer bond with Japan. Korean's had a stronger sense of independence which they fought for frequently, once even driving back the forces of the Tang dynasty in order to preserve their own culture and government. However similar Korean and Japanese signification was, the differences were noticeable and the outcomes for both countries was different as well.
How did gender affect Pre-Modern Asian history? How do the different Asian societies compare? Are their any similarities to the rest of the world? Discuss.
It is hard to discuss gender roles in Asia without paying particular attention to the differences in experiences. In India and China, women were submissive to men, while in Southeast Asia women had a greater deal of influence and power. What can be said, is while, eventually, the majority of Asia subscribed to the philosophy that women were worth less than men, most of Asia began as a matriarchal society.
The greatest change to these matriarchal societies was the sudden influence of religious sects promoting the vitality of men and the submissive quality of women. A good example of this would be the arrival of Confucianism in Japan. Before Confucius principals arrived, Japan had at least one to two empresses, but the driving morals of Confucian text places men in the position of power and soon it was impossible for women to hold such a high ranking standing within the government. It ought to be noted that all Japanese emperors are "direct descendants" of the sun goddess, Amatersu's, grandson Ninigi. Regardless, women in Japan lost any of the control they had once Japan narrowed its focus on Chinese superiority and way of life. As in Japan, Korean women had a large amount of agency. Before Confucius influence, Korean women had the ability to remarry without consequence, maintain property, and husbands frequently moved in with their wives to live. In large part, Southeast Asia did not follow this route and Confucian principles did not take hold there.
In traditional Asia, it was common for women of poor families to be sold off as concubines or servants as they had little else in terms of prospects. Occasionally, female children would be killed if there was little food because their lives were worth less to the family. When girls were not being sold off to richer men as concubines they were being married off instead and subject to the whims and wishes of their mother-in-law. The only chance of escape for many of these girls was suicide. Divorce was rare and remarriage was even more unheard of. Women were expected to remain faithful to their dead husbands, even if they were left destitute. To prove this fidelity they would commit sati, a ritualized form of suicide by pyre.
Of all the harsh and unfair treatment given women, in Pre-Modern Asia, the Chinese practice of footbinding leaves one both outraged and fascinated. First, the bones of the toes were broken and then they were reset with strongly wrapped bandages with the ultimate goal of having a three-inch foot. This practice can be seen in two different ways, one it was a mean of control by both men and women. Men never forced women to break their feet, it was often a female relative who forced the procedure because men would like it. However, having these perfect feet also could be seen as a means of empowerment and social climbing.
There were certain periods of time, however, when women had a little more control. Mughal India, for example, saw women gain a greater influence over government affairs through their husbands and had much more power, despite Islamic policies. The Taj Mahal, one of the greatest architectural structures in the world, was built as a tomb for the wife of the emperor Shah Jahan as a romantic gesture. In Heian Japan, upper class ladies were the ones who were writing the stories that would later become famous today.
Gender inequality existed in all parts of the world, not just in Asia. At the same time these gender inequalities grew into existence in Asia, to were they being experienced in the Western world. Women in the western world had no power over property, they could not ask for divorce, and the most powerful of these women, only had that power through marriage to a prominent male figure, or through their father. Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth I of England were lucky enough to have a father who was unable to produce a son that lived long enough to remain king. However, it was their birth station that let them feel any sort of power, and Queen Mary was executed not long into her reign.
To say that gender did not hold any affect on the shape of Asian history, or even world history, would be ignoring the fact that, for the largest part of history, it was men controlling what was written about and what occurred. Half the population, perhaps even more when one brings in class issues, were summarily dismissed as having no profound effect on history until quite recently. Women were subjected to men's will and control, not just by men, but frequently by women as well. It was a self-perpetuating system until quite recently at the turn of the 20th century for much of the world, barring Asia who did not have women's rights until the later part of the century. These inequalities of gender played a great and powerful role in the shape of Asian and world history, and that there are commanlities amongst Asian society speaks of the trade of ideas and values, and how easily one society can influence another.
The moral of this tale? Never get me started about gender at 8:30 in the morning on three hours of sleep. XD