Lesson 1 (all about asia)

WHY STUDY ASIA?

NOPPOLUAITPOPULATION

POPULATION

More than 6 billion people live in Asia

Site of early human settlement

Location of the oldest neolithic cities

Cradle of the oldest civilizations

LIREINGORELIGION

Shinto

Buddhism

Taoism Hinduism

ChristianityJudaism

Islam

Confucianism

RELIGION

ACCITRERTUEHARCHITECTURE

Asia boasts of great architectures like...

URNRETC TVEENSCURRENT EVENTS

Many current concerns taking place in Asia

It is in the forefront of significant global events

DUNESNRDTINGAUNDERSTANDING

Gain deeper understanding of the nature of Asian societies

Understand themes that highlight particular experiences of Asians

EB AMFLIRIABE FAMILIAR

Be familiar with the history of our neighboring Asian countries

REDIPPRIDE

Be proud of our Asian heritage

WKONNIGKNOWING

Studying ASIAOrigin and the two existing perspectives on Asia

Activity no. 2 Group yourselves into six Discuss your own take on the idea of

Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu linking Europe with progress and Asia with backwardness.

Choose a representative who will share to the class the things you and your group have discussed.

The Origin of the Word “Asia” Greeks originally used the term not to

refer to the continent we know today but to a small region near Europe.

In the epic Iliad written by Homer, Asia is referred to as the continent that prevents eastward journeys of Aegean seamen

The Origin of the Word “Asia” Came from Aegean, the language of the

Greek population and the islands near them before 1600 B.C.E.

The Origin of the Word “Asia”

“Place of the rising sun”

“dawn”

“the east”

ASIAASU

The Origin of the Word “Asia” The word “Asia” was not present in any

of the native languages of Asia Ashiya (Chinese) and Ajiya (Japanese)

direct translations of the Aegean word Italian missionary Matteo Ricci China

first appeared in 17th Century Chinese literature

The Origin of the Word “Asia” Europeans West; Asia East By-product of the Eurocentric

viewpoint Europe = center Main reason why the naming of places

has always been relative to them

to whom is it meaningful?

ASIAN-CENTRIC POINT OF VIEW The role of Asians in molding the history and

culture of Asia as an important geographical and cultural region is given more emphasis

Asian Perspective

Asian in nature

Rightful importance

DISTORTED IMAGE Europe = weaponry, scientific instruments,

Christian symbols Asia = garments, camels, monkeys Ziaudin Sardar: Orientalism

Europeans used their own standards, making Asian civilization seem inferior

Unity in diversitymore similaritiesthan differences