Geography

Theme

India-market -field work

Key Features

I do not adopt the conventional style of lectures in which a teacher reads a textbook and explains about it. Instead, in my lectures I deal with records, pictures and videos which were taken when I visited South Asian countries a few dozen times in the quarter of a century after 1977. Especially focusing on how young people who are the same generation as students taking this course live in these countries, I will try to demonstrate two sides to the caste society of South Asia vividly. I will not make lectures one-way from me to students but I will invite questions from students in every lecture. In addition, during the term, I will provide chances twice for students to make questions on a sheet of A4 paper and then I will answer them the next week.

Course Aims

In this lecture, the course of geography for freshmen, I will take them to South Asia at first. In Asian countries which seem to near from Japan but far away, South Asian countries (India, Bangladesh, Nepal) are alien in terms of everything such as climate, race, language and social systems. There are more and more international students from these countries in Nagoya University and therefore now we have chance to see them in the university. On the other hand, although many students of Nagoya University go to study to Europe, the United States, China, Korea and Southeast countries in Asia, they rarely go to South Asia. The aim of this course is under such situations, I would like students to know and get interested in South Asia.

Basic attitude of the author to the study of South Asia

The author demonstrate that people in South Asian society in which Hindu and Muslim are intermingled get along with each other on the level of daily life though they disagree at times.

The specialty of the author is the regional history of pre-modern and contemporary Japan, however, he aims to establish cross-regional environmental history beyond time and space by conducting fieldwork on contemporary South Asia.

Related subjects

Geography and General lectures related with South Asia

Reference books

Tsunetoshi Mizoguchi, "India, Market, fieldwork", Nakanisiya shoten, January 2006

Jun Ishihara and Tsunetoshi Mizoguchi, "Periodic Market in South Asia - a traditional circulation system", Kokon shoin, Septermber 2006

Course Schedule

Session	Contents
1	Guidance
2	Climate of India
3	Caste system
4	Cuisine
5	Marriage
6	Cremation
7	People of various castes
8	Hinduism and Islam
9	Hindu gods Mid-term examination
10	Periodic markets
11	Merchant of aluminum dishes
12	Floods in Bangladesh
13	Passers-by of the mountainous lands in Nepal
14	Development and assistance
15	Summary / Final examination

Lecture Handouts

Note: All documents are in Japanese.

Session 1

• guidance

Session 2

• climate of India

Session 3

• caste system

Session 4

• cuisine

Session 5

• marriage

Session 6

• cremation

Session 7

• people of various castes

Session 8

• Hindu and Islam

Session 9

• Hindu gods

Session 10

• periodic markets

Session 11

• merchant of aluminum dishes

Session 12

• floods in Nepal

Session 13

• passers-by of the mountainous land in Bangladesh

Session 14

• development and assistance

Assignment

Note: All documents are in Japanese.

Question of mid-term examination

Question of Final examination

Grading

Mid-term examination (30%)

Final examination (70%)

Reference Resources

Reference book 1:Tsunetoshi Mizoguchi, "India, Market, fieldwork", Nakanishiya shoten, January 2006

The book which has the same title as this course was published by Nakanishiya publisher on 1st January 2006 and it was nominated as one of reference readings of library. It contains the diary which was written when the author visited all of periodic markets (30 places) in Sandila in North India. This book is composed of eight chapters: 1) go to the country of sari, 2) Lodhaura, 3) fair, 4) camel anniversary, 5) cremation, 6) market of the king and village of prostitutes, 7) farewell, 8) reunion. It also contains other eight chapters as commentary: 1) caste system, 2) villages in North India, 3) periodic markets, 4) Hinduism and Islam, 5) marriage of Hindu, 6) the climate of India, 7) cuisine of caste society, 8) the other side of street performances. It also contains diaries of the students who visited India as the first trip for overseas.

Reference book 2:Jun Ishihara and Tsunetoshi Mizoguchi, "Periodic Market in South Asia - a traditional circulation system", Kokon shoin, Septermber 2006

In South Asian countries such as India, many people still live in rural villages. In these villages, traditional periodic markets even now play an important role as a place to exchange products and services. This book demonstrates the current status and transformation of caste system focusing on people getting together at periodic markets. The author visited about 30 periodic markets each in Bangladesh, West Bengal, North India, South India from 1984 to 1989, made a market map and investigate sellers and buyers. This book is a research report of those investigations.

Since the methods of investigation are unified in four areas, we can compare periodic markets in India with those in Bangladesh. Of those, reference book 1 is inside story of the investigation in North India.

Environment of South Asia and Pictures of fieldwork： lecture notes

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