Glimpse into the course catalogue: Southeast Asian Mobilities – Travels – Migrations in the Malay World and Beyond

30. August 2022, von AAI Webmaster

Foto: unsplash

New semester, new seminars! In preparation for the winter semester, here is already a first peek at a course in the new course catalogue.

As the title indicates this MA Module taught by Prof. Jan van der Putten, is about movements of people in a space where they encounter and interact with others to forge all kinds of new and exciting configurations. The module starts with a short introduction into the field of mobility studies poineered by scholars such as John Urry and a few others. Then we will track people of Austronesian stock, as they travelled widely in premodern times, while their migration tracks slowly were arrested by internal and outside forces. As a general trend movement became more limited, it will be argued, only to pick up again in the period of postmodern globalization, the period that we are experiencing now. In the meantime, the students will be invited to join me in a discussion about the movements of indigenous people roaming around on the land and sea, forced migrations to the ‘lands on the other side’ (Tanah Sabrang), adventurers who travelled widely to different corners of the globe, travel and leisure trips, pilgrimages, examples of imaginary voyages, travel to seek employment, and to conclude with the formation of diasporic communities in nodes where certain groups come together outside the lands of their forefathers.

This is a module targeting students in the MA study track of Austronesian studies, but other MA and BA students are also welcome, since we will basically deal with materials in English.

Registration for this course is possible on STiNE under the number 57-311. More information on this and other seminars can also be found in the current course catalogue.