Modern East Asia: A History explores the history of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam from the late eighteenth century to the present. The text presents information on each country individually and also demonstrates how historical trends within each nation are linked. The book begins with an introduction to cultural foundations and a brief history of East Asia in the seventeenth century. The volume progresses chronologically, beginning in 1830 with a discussion of the major crises that swept East Asia, including covering both domestic and international challenges. In proceeding chapters, readers learn about key events, ideas, conflicts, and negotiations that have shaped East Asia throughout history. They read about the termination of the feudal structure in Japan, French colonial conquest in Vietnam, the birth of modern nationalism in China, the events that led to Korea splitting into two separate nations, and more. Comprehensive and complete, Modern East Asia provides readers with a thorough exploration of the progression of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam throughout the modern period. The text is ideal for world history courses, especially those that focus on East Asia. Mary L. Hanneman is an associate professor of Asian studies and history at the University of Washington, Tacoma. She holds a doctoral degree in history from the University of Washington. Wayne Patterson is a professor of history at St. Norbert College. He holds a doctoral degree in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania. Yi Li is a history instructor at Tacoma Community College. He holds a doctoral degree in history from the University of Washington. James A. Anderson is an associate professor and the department head of the History Department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He holds a doctoral degree in history from the University of Washington.

Written with rare mastery and a sure sense of the essential, this concise general history of modern East Asia offers students and general readers an understanding of this dynamic region from a global perspective. It is the ideal introductory text for college survey courses in Asian and international studies.Following an introductory discussion of the regional concept, the first two chapters lay the foundations. Chapter 1 describes East Asia's geographical, human, cultural, economic, social, and political setting as it has evolved over the past several millennia, and the three major belief systems - Confucianism, Buddhism, and Islam. Chapter 2 presents a panoramic view of the region ca. 1800. The chapter introduces the "dramatis personae" - the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese, Indonesians, Filipinos, and others - and describes their interactions with each other and with Imperial China.The following three chapters deal with European expansionism and East Asians' responses to the civilizational challenge; the stirrings of nationalism in reaction to European colonial rule; and the remarkable rise of Imperial Japan. Chapters 6 and 7 trace Japan's bid to lead a pan-Asianist revolt against the twin threats of Western liberalism and Soviet communism, and the ensuing Pacific War. Chapters 8 and 9 span the cold war era, from postwar U.S. hopes for a "Pax Americana" to the division of East Asia into communist and anti-communist blocs. The Sino-Soviet split and the Sino-American rapprochement of the early 1970s open the way to the "East Asian miracle" and a resurgence of East Asian regionalism, surveyed in Chapter 10. A concluding chapter considers the prospects for continued economic dynamism and the balance of nationalism and pan-Asian trends in shaping the future.

Modern East Asia details the history of the region while recognizing the intellectual, religious, artistic, economic and scientific contributions East Asians have made to the contemporary world. The three national narratives of China, Japan and Korea are told separately within each chapter, and the text emphasizes connections among them as well as the unique evolution of each society, allowing readers to experience the individual countries' histories as well as the region's history as a whole. The text takes into consideration the radical changes in the field of history in the past 40 years, as the authors have incorporated scholarship in areas such as gender studies, social history and minority histories. While reading social, economic and personal histories, students will uncover the evolution of family structures, peripheral and outcast communities, the sociopolitical power of language and literature, the rise of nationalism and regional trading networks. Attention is also paid to environmental and diplomatic themes.

Modern East Asia: A Brief History.

A History of Modern East Asia illuminates the history of this vast and crucial region over the last two hundred years, exploring its many cultures, societies, states and economies, in the first major work on the modern history of the region as a whole. Offers a comprehensive view of East Asia, including Southeast Asia as well as China, Korea and Japan Examines East Asia within the context of global history, building on recent scholarship in modern world history Introduces the innovative concept of interaction zone to define East Asia as a region of dynamic economic, political and cultural interaction rather than as a static and reified civilization Provides a narrative that helps readers understand how the region came to its current place in the world and what the future of East Asia may hold

Designed for the East Asian history course, this text features the latest scholarship on the region and offers a range of cultural, political, economic, and intellectual history. Coverage is balanced among East Asian regions, with approximately 20 percent of the text focused on Korea, an area that has become increasingly important in East Asian courses and in world politics. Special attention is devoted to coverage of gender and material culture-topics that are reinforced through the text's pedagogical features. Color inserts illustrate the rich artistic heritage of East Asia and bolster the coverage of material culture. Connections sections appear throughout the text and provide an international context for the history of East Asia. Some of the topics covered include Buddhism, the Mongols, Imperialism, and World War II. Each chapter includes primary source features that document, among other topics, culture or the arts. Biographical sketches highlight the lives of major figures in East Asian history.