BEFORE YOU WATCH: Asian Responses to Imperialism

Use the “Three Close Reads” approach as you watch the video below.

Use the “Three Close Reads” approach as you watch the video below (next in the lineup!). If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.

First read: preview and skimming for gist

Before you watch, you should skim the transcript first. The skim should be very quick and give you the gist (general idea) of what the video is about. You should be looking at the title, thumbnails, pictures, and first few seconds of the video for the gist.

Second read: key ideas and understanding content

Now that you’ve skimmed the video transcript and taken a quick peek at the video, you should preview the questions you will be answering. These questions will help you get a better understanding of the concepts and arguments that are presented in the video. Keep in mind that when you watch the video, it is a good idea to write down any vocab you read or hear that is unfamiliar to you.

By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

Why do we end up relying on sources from ‘intellectuals’ in many cases when studying imperialism?
John Green argues that Asian intellectuals recognized the principal reason for Europe dominance at this time. What was that reason?
How does John Green describe the ‘modernization’ response that many Asian societies followed in some periods?
What strategy did Kang Youwei suggest that China follow in response to European industrial might?
What important political transformation did Sayyid Jamal Ad-Din Al-Afghani propose?
Why was Japan not a great model for many other Asian states in this era, according to John Green?
Many Asian intellectuals looked beyond European models by the early twentieth century. What did they all have in common, according to John Green? What sources of strength did Sayyid Jamal Ad-Din Al-Afghani, Liang Qichao, and Rabindranath Tagore propose?

Third read: evaluating and corroborating

Finally, here are some questions that will help you focus on why this video matters and how it connects to other content you’ve studied.

At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to this question:

Why is it important to look at modernization and imperialism from perspectives other than the colonizers? How does it cause us to revise our understanding of imperialism – as community, as network, in terms of production and distribution?

Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to watch! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished watching.

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