Colonialism constitutes at once a ubiquitously discussed topic and a complex term the layers of which are still, in many ways, understudied in the existing scholarship. In addition, the term is still often approached from a largely ”Western” perspective, whereas insights from ”the others” continue to be underrepresented. This course aims to explore this topic by considering multiple aspects through the example of East Asia, thereby delinating the dynamics and grey zones of Asian-European, as well as intra-Asian relations and the multifaceted meanings of colonialism and imperialism in juxtaposition. The case studies will focus mainly on Sino-European relations, as well as the characteristics of Japanese colonialism, particularly in Korea (but efforts will be made to also touch upon other colonies). Japan constitutes a relatively late-comer in the history of expansionism, but quickly became a signficant power in the formation of the modern world order. The goal of this course is to shed light on the multifaceted and controversial nature of this ”modernizing” process, concentrating on the colonial period from the late 19th to the mid-20th century.
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