ASIA 200: Introduction to Asian Studies Final Exam

Shinto

"Way of the Kami"; Japanese worship of nature spirits

Heian

Capital city of Japan under the Yamato emperors, later called Kyoto; built in order to escape influence of Buddhist monks; patterned after ancient imperial centers of China; never fully populated

Murasaki Shikibu

Perhaps Japan's greatest author, a woman active at the Heian court who is best known for The Tale of Genji, which she wrote around 1000 C.E.

Kukai

great Japanese Buddhist thinker (773-835) and founder of Shingon

Pure Land

a Buddhist sect, originally Chinese but later popular in Japan, that taught that devotion alone could lead to enlightenment and release.

Shoen

System of land ownership in feudal Japan that meant the nobles owned all the land

Gempei War

civil war between the Taira family and the Minamoto family

Bushido

the code of honor and morals developed by the Japanese samurai.

Zen

a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition.

Mono no aware

Beautiful sadness of impermanence. fleeting, relative, transient world as opposed to the non-dual world. Everything is momentary, but thingness is permanent. Experienceing the fragility of life affirms its value.

Wabi-Sabi

A comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete."

Yugen

Profound suggestive mystery; not something that can be taught it must be found on your own

Qur'an

Part of Islamic holy text; believed to be the word of God as dictated to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.

Hadith

A tradition relating the words or deeds of the Prophet Muhammad; next to the Quran, the most important basis for Islamic law.

Jihad

a meritorious effort for a noble cause, primarily against evil within oneself (the "greater") or to promote good in society, but it also includes defensive warfare ("lesser") under strict conditions

Caliph

A supreme political and religious leader in a Muslim government

Sunni

a Muslim group that accepts only the descendants of the Umayyads as the true rulers of Islam

Shiite

A member of the branch of Islam that supports the descendants of Muhammad as his rightful successors

Indentured Servitude

A worker bound by a voluntary agreement to work for a specified period of years often in return for free passage to an overseas destination. Before 1800 most were Europeans; after 1800 most indentured laborers were Asians.

Hanzi/Kanji

Chinese writing system

Indian National Congress

A movement and political party founded in 1885 to demand greater Indian participation in government. Its membership was middle class, and its demands were modest until World War I. Led after 1920 by Mohandas K. Gandhi, appealing to the poor.

Gandhi

This was a leader of the Indian independence movement in mid-20th century known for his nonviolent protests.

Partition of India

After gaining independence from Great Britain in 1947, India was separated into two countries Pakistan for Muslims and India for Hindus; led to conflict as well as population displacement and resettlement

Bangladesh Liberation War

Conflict leading to Bangladesh's independence in 1971.

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister of India

Beef Bans in India

20 out of 28 states have laws that regulate or prohibit cow slaughter, with the strictest laws in states like Delhi, Gujarat, and Haryana. These laws vary, with some states banning slaughter entirely, others restricting it to specific areas or times, and recent bans expanding to public consumption, such as in Assam. The issue is complex and often tied to religious and political tensions, impacting livelihoods, and leading to violence in some cases

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

A conservative Hindu-based political party in India which often has been reluctant to compromise with Muslim and Sikh interests. This has slowed efforts by some to seek common approaches to development challenges.

Mao Zedong

(1893-1976) Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists. Established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976.

Great Leap Forward

Started by Mao Zedong, combined collective farms into People's Communes, failed because there was no incentive to work harder, ended after 2 years.

Cultural Revolution

Campaign in China ordered by Mao Zedong to purge the Communist Party of his opponents and instill revolutionary values in the younger generation.

Deng Xiaoping

Leader of China from 1976 to 1997 whose reforms essentially dismantled the communist elements of the Chinese economy.

Special Economic Zones

In 1979, the Chinese government set up these zones on the coast near Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Improved transportation, lower taxes, and other incentives attracted investments from foreign businesses. They helped stimulate innovation and helped China grow economically.

Tiananmen Square Massacre

In 1989, demonstrators peacefully assembled to push for greater democracy in China; when the demonstrators refused to disperse the government sent in troops and tanks

Xi Jinping

President of China

Supply chain reconfiguration

the strategic altering of a firm's network, partners, and processes to boost resilience, agility, and efficiency in response to disruptions, shifting demand, and new technologies