Summary Early Se Categorization of Europe
Early Southeast Asian Categorization of Europeans
1. SE Asia was not “discovered” by world trade system
• Even before the Europeans knew about SE Asia, it already existed
• Europeans were initially just one more part of the Asian maritime trade
2. Categories of otherness
• Vietnam – “southern” country, point of reference: China – North
• coastal SE Asian countries – “below the winds” , point of reference: India - “above the winds”
• William Marsden: “analogous to “us-them” distinction such as Greeks and Barbarians, Jews and Gentiles, Arabs and others”
• no presumption of moral or cultural superiority involved with the distinction
• SE Asian writers themselves were more ambivalent about the dichotomy
• “civilized/cosmopolitan people of cities and coast” vs. “barbarous/isolated people of the interior” dichotomy is thought of by the former
3. First Contacts: “White Bengalis” and “Iron Heads”
• Europeans were surprised with their discovery of SE Asia, feelings were not returned
• Foreign merchants – treated as important people in diplomatic practice of region
• Language was not a major barrier. Lingua Franca: Arabic and Malay (most valuable)
• Women – can marry temporarily the foreign merchants to help in trading and marketing (commercial partner) provided mechanism where Portugese learned the language and culture of the Asian environment
• First direct impact of “Franks”(Malay: Feringgi) in SE Asia was the mission of Diego Lopez de Sequeira (Portuguese) in Melaka, September 1509
• Chronicle of Malay Kings: Sejarah Melayu Melaka people labeled the Portugese as “white Bengali”, primarily concerned to put the blame for the loss of Melaka on Sultan Mahmud
• Portugese chronicles: respectful initial reception of Sequeira quickly turned sour
• Bengali – people that are resented by the Melakans. “when they want to insult a man, they call him a Bengali.”
4. Polarization
• Malay accounts of the arrival of Portuguese are morally neutral about the
1. SE Asia was not “discovered” by world trade system
• Even before the Europeans knew about SE Asia, it already existed
• Europeans were initially just one more part of the Asian maritime trade
2. Categories of otherness
• Vietnam – “southern” country, point of reference: China – North
• coastal SE Asian countries – “below the winds” , point of reference: India - “above the winds”
• William Marsden: “analogous to “us-them” distinction such as Greeks and Barbarians, Jews and Gentiles, Arabs and others”
• no presumption of moral or cultural superiority involved with the distinction
• SE Asian writers themselves were more ambivalent about the dichotomy
• “civilized/cosmopolitan people of cities and coast” vs. “barbarous/isolated people of the interior” dichotomy is thought of by the former
3. First Contacts: “White Bengalis” and “Iron Heads”
• Europeans were surprised with their discovery of SE Asia, feelings were not returned
• Foreign merchants – treated as important people in diplomatic practice of region
• Language was not a major barrier. Lingua Franca: Arabic and Malay (most valuable)
• Women – can marry temporarily the foreign merchants to help in trading and marketing (commercial partner) provided mechanism where Portugese learned the language and culture of the Asian environment
• First direct impact of “Franks”(Malay: Feringgi) in SE Asia was the mission of Diego Lopez de Sequeira (Portuguese) in Melaka, September 1509
• Chronicle of Malay Kings: Sejarah Melayu Melaka people labeled the Portugese as “white Bengali”, primarily concerned to put the blame for the loss of Melaka on Sultan Mahmud
• Portugese chronicles: respectful initial reception of Sequeira quickly turned sour
• Bengali – people that are resented by the Melakans. “when they want to insult a man, they call him a Bengali.”
4. Polarization
• Malay accounts of the arrival of Portuguese are morally neutral about the