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The Chinese Famine, 2008.
This paper examines the reasons behind the famine of China's "Great Leap Forward".
2,809 words (approx. 11.2 pages), 9 sources, APA, £ 59.95
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Abstract
The paper utilizes Amartya Sen's entitlement approach to famine as an explanation of the famine during China's Great Leap Forward. The paper argues that the primary reasons for this famine were the fundamental problems in central planning policy, together with structural inadequacies of the government system of the People's Republic of China in the 1950s.
Outline:
Introduction
The Great Leap Forward
Famine - The Theoretical Literature
Famine as a Crisis in Central Planning
The Relevance of the Sen Model
Conclusion
From the Paper
"In order to understand the famine in China in the late 1950s it is first necessary to understand the political, social and economic context that gave rise to the famine in the first place. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China under a Communist government in 1949, centuries-old traditions of agricultural production and economics were been revised at all levels of Chinese society."
"After 1949 China embarked on a series of Five-Year Plans that were designed to reestablish China's industrial capabilities and increase agricultural production. The shaping of these plans led to considerable political disagreement within the leadership of the People's Republic. The architects of the first of these plans - particularly Chen Yun and Zhou Enlai - believed that material incentives would lead to gradual increases in grain and industrial production (Spence 1990, 575). However, such "gradualism" ran contrary to paramount leader Mao Zedong's "heroic" vision of revolution as "continuing struggle" (Spence 1990, 596)."
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A Review of Tomoko Makabe's Book "Picture Brides", 2008.
A summary and review of "Picture Brides" by Tomoko Makabe, which chronicles the lives of five Canadian-Japanese women.
1,408 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 33.95
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Abstract
This paper critically reviews "Picture Brides" by Tomoko Makabe, a Japanese woman living in Canada, who became fascinated by the fact that women would go overseas to marry men they did not know. The author of this paper feels that, while the book is interesting to read, a person aware of Japan's 19th and 20th century history, and the longer story of the Japanese in North America will find little that is so 'amazing' in the experience of the five women informing Makabe's work.
From the Paper
"Also, the phenomenon to which Makabe gave her attention involved a range of factors to which she seems not to have given ample thought led by the extreme gaps in Japanese social classes in the 19th and 20th centuries. Young women choosing to marry abroad, as ever, were often people with few or no alternative prospects. Makabe seems not to have considered a number of factors of the kind. For instance, a somewhat irritating aspect of Picture Brides is the author's repeated reference to how courageous the picture brides were, in a manner showing that the author has failed to imagine the turn of the 20th century and the courage that all men and women without prospects in Japan, or anywhere else, needed in order to simply survive. Makabe's informants had come to Canada as picture brides in the 1920s, by which time many Japanese women had undertaken the same sorts of journeys, going to join a settled and working man of whom their families were apt to know little or nothing. In addition to traditional family methods of locating spouses, brokers were often involved, a woman taking some risk as ever in terms of how her husband across the world turned out to be but she went abroad with the approval of her family having settled a daughter and sometimes expecting remittance funds.
As an Oral History volume, Picture Brides would be better if the author had managed a shorter introduction on herself and tried for a briefer introduction to 100 years of Japanese in Canada. More weight should have been placed on events in Japan in the later 19th and early 20th centuries that made becoming a picture bride of appeal. For instance, Makabe notes that the women were from village backgrounds and notes how a newly industrializing Japan had few waged opportunities for women that most could not work beyond the home. She seems not to see either that as elsewhere in Asia, marriage was a necessity for poorer families, and that embarking across the world as a picture bride could solve various family problems. Becoming a picture bride was probably more strategic or simply straightforward than courageous or heroic. One gains the impression that the author was fairly sheltered or had not reflected on social reality of the time in either Japan or Canada when beginning research with the assistance of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario."
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Nuclear Proliferation: India and Pakistan, 2008.
This paper explores the nuclear weaponry proliferation in India and Pakistan.
3,031 words (approx. 12.1 pages), 13 sources, MLA, £ 63.95
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Abstract
The paper examines the nuclear weaponry proliferation from a "collective goods" perspective and explores the many reasons why a nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan will not lead to a stable balance of power in the region. The paper discusses international terrorism, sectarian and ethnic hatreds, deep-seated paranoia and the fact that Pakistan is overly-reliant upon its nuclear weaponry for its defense. The paper therefore argues that India and Pakistan should be discouraged from their present nuclear build-ups.
From the Paper
"To start with, "collective goods" is really a term drawn from economics - albeit it is one that can be applied to a number of different disciplines depending upon the context within which it is being introduced. For our purposes, "collective goods" are really public goods wherein the item in question cannot be withheld from one consumer without also withholding it from all consumers. A classic example of this is national defense whereby a nation cannot defend its borders without also defending all individuals who reside within those borders at any one time - including foreigners or "undesirables". Additionally, the "flip-side" of collective goods is that, not only are they items which cannot practicably be denied to any one person, but they are also items which benefit those who simply refuse to pay for them; suffice it to say, the collective good makes "free-riders" out of many people (Yamagishi & Sato, 67-69). This concept has immediate application to the issue of nuclear proliferation in India and Pakistan."
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Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek, 2008.
A comparison of the personalities of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek and a discussion of their relationship with each other.
1,394 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 33.95
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Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the personalities of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek. The paper discusses the characteristics and actions of both men and their relationship with each other. After providing examples from their lives, the paper concludes that while their personalities appear to have had some similarities, particularly that both men were resolute, Mao was a far more ruthless and intolerant man.
From the Paper
"On the other hand, the most outstanding aspect of Chiang's personality appears to have been his fixity of purpose. This fixity of purpose played no small part in the fact that Chiang's Kuomintang party became the official government of China in the early 1930's. However, his army was defeated by Mao's army in 1949, clearing the way for Mao to found the PRC. While Mao went on to be dictator of China, Chiang was able to become the dictator of the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan for 26 years. Thus, one thing the two men certainly had in common was that they both came from relatively humble beginnings to eventually be dictators for decades - no mean feat, and certainly a testament to the very strong characters of both of them."
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Buddhism in China, 2008.
An analysis of how and when Buddhism came to China and the obstacles it faced there from the state and Confucian opponents.
1,713 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 8 sources, APA, £ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at how Buddhism came to China and what main problems pertaining to assimilation greeted it once it arrived. Specifically, the paper analyzes when exactly Buddhism made its appearance, what factors in China made it possible for it to establish a toe-hold and what arguments were leveled against it by Confucian opponents. The paper also discusses the role of the Northwestern Purists, as well as what obstacles the state offered.
From the Paper
"Yet, there is still confusion among scholars as to when exactly Buddhism began to eclipse (or at least rival) Confucianism in ancient China. Lewis Hodous seems to place Buddhism's gradual rise during the Han dynasty that extended from the third century BC to the third century AD - which appears to accord with the work of Hawkins insofar as the latter draws the conclusion that 300 AD was right about when Buddhism became pervasive and prominent in China. However, Xinzhong Yao (2000) argues that Buddhism did not really begin to flourish until roughly the end of the fourth century AD - a later date by nearly a century. Ultimately, the imprecision of the dates (and they all do fall within the same general timeframe) can be attributed to the relative scarcity of textual sources and, presumably, to different scholarly preoccupation and emphases. The key point, in any case, is that Buddhism came about because Confucianism's own failings gave it cultural space in which to carve out a niche."
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China-Africa Relations, 2008.
This paper examines three online news articles from the Chinese Peoples Daily; "Chinese President Ends Visit to Zambia," "China, Zambia Vow to Strengthen Cooperation" and "Roundup: China-Zambia Ties Cemented Through Assistance, Investment".
894 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 22.95
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Abstract
The paper reviews three online news articles which illustrate the growing prominence of China in the world as well as its increasingly expansive foreign policy. The paper suggests that China is following very much in the path of the former Soviet Union and notes that African nations like Zambia have made a conscious choice to become allies of the Asian superpower.
From the Paper
"Over the last few decades, China has emerged as a legitimate world power; indeed, China today may be on the verge of becoming the one nation capable of challenging American global supremacy. The confidence that comes with this realization has gradually changed how the Chinese do business with the rest of the world - and the enthusiasm with which they reach out to the rest of the world. Although often overlooked, China's growing relationship with Africa reveals a country that is beginning to see a more expansive role for itself on the international stage - and Chinese dailies like the People's Daily are well aware of this, judging from the attention granted to a recent visit to the African nation of Zambia by President Hu Jintao."
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Families in China and the U.S., 2008.
This paper discusses families in China and the United States, focusing on the issues of poverty, economy and culture.
2,100 words (approx. 8.4 pages), 5 sources, MLA, £ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the issue of families in relation to China and the United States. The paper further explores the issue of poverty and the struggle of the family unit in both countries in relation to economic concerns. A discussion of families in rural and urban areas, as well as the manner in which families live in these locales is examined. The concept of social class is presented and discussed in relation to how social class impacts the family unit and how societal beliefs exist that create barriers to altering the lives of the poor. Finally, the issue of culture is examined and the differences between China and America with regard to culture and living in the family unit are explored.
From the Paper
"The United States is considered a country that is the leading power in the world, while China continues to experience economic hardships and needed development. In both countries, however, the focus on the family is a concern because the family is believed to be integral to society. The Chinese families that exist in the modern world experience many of the same difficulties that are found by American families in rural and urban areas. This includes poverty, which is the number one social issue that impacts family units in both nations. Additionally, in both countries the issue of social class standing is apparent, with the poor often being outcast from the social order and forgotten. In China there has been a significant push to change the conditions for the poor, however, there are still those families that have been unaffected by governmental programs, which has been the case in the United States for decades. While these similarities exist between Chinese and American families, the greatest factor that separates their place in society is culture. The manner in which families conduct their lives because of social expectations and the beliefs related to gender differences and children impacts families in China differently than in America. However, it is clear that regardless of the cultural variances that affect families in these nations, within both cultures families are consistently attempting to survive and continue the progress of each generation in the hopes that eventually the family will know success."
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Life in A Sinhalese Village, 2008.
This paper paints a picture of the society in a Sinhalese village, Sri Lanka.
702 words (approx. 2.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 18.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the ritual practices common in Sinhalese villages, specifically, the art of "devil dancing". The paper points out the Sinhalese respect and fear for the unknown and abstract. The paper looks at the disparity in formal education systems, the role of family in Sinhalese society and the contested role of women.
Outline:
Ritual Practices-The Devil Dance
Formal Education
Kinship
The Independent Woman
From the Paper
"A large majority of the people of Sri Lanka pratice Buddhism or a synthesis of Buddhism and Hindusim. But throughout history, folk cults stemmed from cultural traditions with beings and deities of supernatural powers that influence day-to-day lives of the people have also been integrated into the Buddhist practices of Sinhalese villages (Baker 39). A great deal of emphasis is placed upon the complex and elaborate rituals needed to pacify evil spirits and to appease the benevolent deities. Although this practice is not condoned by the Buddhist temples, there is a large following of these rituals, especially in the Sinhalese villages."
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The Indians of Trinidad, 2008.
This paper discusses the Indian population's influence in Trinidad.
1,169 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 8 sources, MLA, £ 28.95
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Abstract
The paper relates that in Trinidad, a country far from India, the largest ethnic population group is of Indian descent. The paper describes the history of the influx of Indians to Trinidad. The paper discusses how the Indians brought with them strong traditions of song, dance, music, food and religious practices that they continue to adhere to today.
From the Paper
"The tiny two-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago is nearly as far physically removed from India as any nation can be. Yet surprisingly, the largest ethnic population group in Trinidad is of [East] Indian descent. ("Trinidad and Tobago 2006") Having traveled literally half way around the world, and rising from indentured servitude to freedom, the Indians of Trinidad overcame crushing obstacles to transplant their culture largely intact on this Caribbean island. (Manas) They are, as writer V. S. Niapaul describes, East Indians from the West Indies. (Review) They have brought with them much of their culture, music, cuisine, and religion and customs. Their ability to do this has allowed them to become one of the dominating forces in Trinidad, carving out and sustaining a space which they held as their own. This space is reflected in the names given to many of the streets in the towns of Trinidad and to many of the major civic monuments. (Manas)"
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Trade and Civilization, 2008.
A review of K.N. Chaudhuri's arguments in "Trade and Civilization in the Indian Ocean: An Economic History from the Rise of Islam to 1750."
1,609 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the relationship between trade and civilization around the Indian Ocean. It discusses the topic according to K.N. Chaudhuri in his book "Trade and Civilization in the Indian Ocean: An Economic History from the Rise of Islam to 1750." The paper argues that Chaudhuri's book is a sound one and that, had the Indian Ocean never existed, the nature of Asian civilization today and in the past would be radically different.
From the Paper
"Indian Ocean trade had a great impact upon the pre-modern Asian world. Political stability, marine law, technological innovation, the distribution of humanity along the coasts of every Asian nation touching the waters of the Indian Ocean, and national economies were all influenced profoundly by the Indian Ocean trade. The implications of this influence can even be seen today. Consequently, to understand the pre-modern history of Asia, one must first understand the interaction between the region and the Indian Ocean that has done so much to guide the course of history in that part of the world. In the end, the history of the world's great Asian civilizations cannot be told without telling the story of the Ocean that nourished--and continues to nourish--all of them."
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Horace Grant Underwood, 2008.
This paper looks at American Presbyterian minister Horace Grant Underwood as missionary in Korea.
1,284 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 10 sources, MLA, £ 30.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the American Presbyterian minister Horace Grant Underwood's profound effect on Korean society to which he went on mission in 1884. The paper describes how Underwood strove for a long-term, practical role that was suitable for Korea.
From the Paper
"The Korea to which Underwood went in 1884 faced grave political instability, which helped open it to missionaries. Earlier, Korea had persecuted missionaries, the earliest of whom were Catholic priests.4 By the 1880s, however, the political situation compelled a change in attitude. Korea was a weak and poverty stricken nation, and her neighbors, China and Japan were competing to reduce her to colonial status. Recognizing his nation's vulnerability, a progressive Korean diplomat urged the king to open relations with the United States. He argued that with its democratic traditions and its comparative isolation from Korea, America might be an ideal patron for Korea."
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A Geisha Art Display, 2008.
This paper describes an art exhibit that will show the importance of Geisha to the Japanese culture.
822 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 6 sources, MLA, £ 20.95
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Abstract
The paper explains the importance of Geisha to the Japanese culture. The paper explains that Geisha means "a person of the arts" and the typical geisha was adept in flower arranging, calligraphy, music, dance, and the unique Japanese tea ceremony. The paper describes the art exhibit that will include the Kimono traditional clothing, Ikebana (flower arranging) and Japanese calligraphy. The paper relates that visitors to the art exhibition will leave with a clear understanding of geisha's striking contrast with the reserved nature of the regular Japanese culture. The paper includes images of the Kimono clothing, flower arranging and Japanese calligraphy.
Outline:
Geisha Art Display
The Art Pieces
Kimono
Ikebana
Calligraphy
From the Paper
"To understand the importance of Geisha to the Japanese culture as well as its significance within that culture, one must first understand Japanese culture. Within Japan the Japanese language epitomizes the culture with its emphasis on order and structure while such aspects as clothing, epitomized by the kimono which means literally "something that is worn" are widely seen within the culture as the ideal of Japanese garments (Sugimoto 43). Additionally, Japanese culture takes art forms such as painting, wood block prints, and especially calligraphy based on Chinese characters and makes of them a highly stylized, abstract art form. Yet, Japanese are, in their daily lives, quite reserved and adhere to strict social mores regarding behavior, speech, and a high regard for social order (Sugimoto 14). Thus, it can be imagined that where the typical historical Japanese woman might be reserved and less forward in not wanting to bring attention to herself geisha became a highly stylized representation of the Japanese woman. That is, without the social constraints of folkway and mores that barred traditional Japanese women from self-expression, geisha might be thought of as the unconscious expression of how many women, and men, conceived them to be."
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The China-Taiwan Issue, 2008.
This paper explores the China-Taiwan conflict and its solution.
1,612 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 5 sources, MLA, £ 37.95
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Abstract
The paper describes how the island of Taiwan has long been a territory under some form of Chinese rule. The paper relates that the current political turmoil between China and Taiwan has its roots in the Chinese civil war in the early part of the last century. The paper notes the American support of an independent Taiwan that ensured it did not fall to the Communists. The paper shows how the solution to the difficulties between Mainland China and Taiwan is not a political one, but an economic and commercial one.
From the Paper
"The cross-strait relationship between China and Taiwan has been a point of geo-political concern since the end of World War II following the removal of Japanese colonial control when the Island experienced a brief period of political independence. This period was short-lived since only a few years later the island was inundated with Chiang Kaishek's Nationalist troops fleeing Mainland China and Mao Zedong's Communist troops. While the island of Taiwan has been variously claimed and ignored by Chinese dynasties throughout history, it was not until it was used as a place of refuge for the Goumingtang, or the Nationalists as they are known in English, that it morphed into a long-term point of contention for China and a line in the sand, as it were, for Western democracy and a buffer against Communist dominance in the region."
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Cambodian Western Style Housing, 2007.
This paper analyzes the problems of developing western style housing in Cambodia, especially the urban areas of Phnom Penh.
4,050 words (approx. 16.2 pages), 10 sources, MLA, £ 78.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the Cambodian government has begun to make vast improvements to westernize its housing system in terms of design and in distribution of land. The author points out that, while urbanization plays a vital role in free market trade and democratic governments, the lack of purchasing power, financial strength and the legal loopholes required to obtain a new home in Phnom Penh are problems for the general Cambodian population. The paper stresses that Cambodians, who were colonized by the French in the late 19th and early 20th century, are accustomed to the centralized living styles of French flats, which provide more communal areas; whereas, the American investors are insisting on implementing western style condominiums, which differ in the sense that the facilities provide more privacy and space.
Table of Contents:
Historical Background
The Need for Land and Growth
Culture and Foreign Investment
History of Housing in Phnom Penh
Cambodian Fiscal System
The Development of French Style Flats and Western Condominiums
Legal Requirements for Construction of Housing
The Cost of Living in the New Phnom Penh
Analysis: French Style Flats versus Western Style Condominiums
Conclusion
From the Paper
"It is evident that Cambodia has a distinct disadvantage compared to the rest of the Asian countries. Primarily, the remnants of war has left a poverty stricken country with the responsibility of re-shaping its entire government, providing education and health care to needy families and finding adequate professional workers to maintain a new democratic system of public administration. However, there are many advantages to starting over for Cambodia, as the United Nations and the United States have taken a great interest in the rebuilding efforts. With a new, open economy and sufficient developmental programs, Cambodia stands at a crossroads for change."
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