COSM52: Body Politics in East and South-East Asia

This course aims to examine East and South-East Asian societies through the lens of the body, focusing on how the bodies of children, women, and families have been critical sites of politics and governance. The course situates body politics within broader regional and global contexts, and also emphasises the local particularities of how such politics are articulated and manifested. By engaging with topics ranging from military prostitution and transnational adoption to bereaved families’ safety movements and the entertainment and cosmetic surgery industries, students will gain insight into the vital role that the bodies of children, women, and families play in shaping and reshaping modern governance in East and South-East Asia. In addition to examining how governance operates, the course also explores how those subjected to governance respond, from maneuvering within systems to more direct forms of resistance. Through an exploration of governing practices and processes, this course will uncover the complexities of political membership in East and South-East Asia, revealing how these dynamics are entangled with intersecting lines of gender, race, class, disability, and sexuality.

• Course syllabus in English (PDF)
• Course syllabus in Swedish (PDF)