Pacific Basin Institute Home
• PBI Events, Spring 2008 •
February 6
Islam in the Phillipines: An Historical Sketch
February 27
Malaysia and its Inter-Asian Connections
April 9
Islamic Civilization in Iran: Between East and West
April 23
Islam, Democratization, and Gender Acitivism in Indonesia
More events and details.
• Co-Sponsored Events, Spring 2008 •
February 13
The Criminalization of Adultery in 20th Century China
February 20
Prospects for Taiwan-PRC Peace Under New Leaders
February 24
Salman Ahmed - Junoon
March 11
Representation of Race and Ethnicity among Asian American Artists
April 18
Traditional Korean Music and Storytelling Today: P'ansori
More co-sponsored Events.
• More About PBI •
PBI's Mission
People at PBI
Dru Gladney
Frank Gibney
PBI Board of Directors
Academic Advisory Committee
International Advisory Committee
The Pacific Century The Television Series

Pomona College has long been in the vanguard of Asian Studies. And PBI's 1993 co-production of the landmark 10-hour PBS series The Pacific Century, written by Alex Gibney, uniquely positions it to complement Pomona's curricular and research commitment to the Pacific Basin.

Video Overview:
  1. The Two Coasts of China: Asia and the Challenge of the West
    Traces current economic and political issues back to their roots in Asia. With original production footage shot in Mongolia, China, Japan and Southeast Asia. This program evokes the greatness of Asia's ancient civilizations, and the challenge posed to them in the 19th century by western traders and colonizers. Produced in association with Antelope Films ( "The Heart of the Dragon"), "The Seaborne Barbarians" recreates the dramatic background of the Mongol Invasions and the Opium War. View Trailer
     

  2. The Meiji Revolution
    Japan became the first industrially and technically underdeveloped nation to modernize itself and become a great power. In contrast, China, beset by internal division, external challenges, and corrupt rulers, was unable to change quickly and thus declined in power and influence. View Trailer
     
  3. From the Barrel of a Gun
    The lives of Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh and the Indonesian leader Sukarno reflect the nationalist movements in those former colonies of Western powers.  View Trailer
     
  4. Writers and Revolutionaries
    Chinese writer Lu Xan and Japanese right-wing philosopher Kita Ikki are profiled as intellectuals who sought to resolve the conflict between the national character and international standing of their homelands.  View Trailer
     
  5. Reinventing Japan
    This program examines the utter transformation of the pacific Basin region in the wake of World War II. The expanding- and often contentious- American and Japanese relationship included the ambiguous roles of conqueror and conquered.  View Trailer
     
  6. Inside Japan, Inc.
    The political, historical, and cultural underpinnings of Japan's post-war economic miracle are considered, both in the wealth it brought to the Pacific Basin and in its creation of a new Asian model of capitalism.  View Trailer
     
  7. Big Business and the Ghost of Confucius
    Asia's newly industrialized countries- Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore- are moving quickly to the forefront of the world economy. Their rapid economic development raises fundamental questions about how Asian-Pacific societies have entered the modern world, the role of the state in economic growth, and the way rulers and ruled alike have invoked traditional values in their efforts to "catch up".  View Trailer
     
  8. The Fight for Democracy
    The rising level of expectations among Asian peoples for greater political freedom and self-determination is explored. In the Republic of Korea, rapid economic growth has fostered democratic aspirations. The gap between economic development and political freedoms has fostered popular challenges to autocratic power.  View Trailer
     
  9. Sentimental Imperialists: America in Asia
    Using the case studies of American involvement with China and the Philippines, this program examines American attitudes toward Asia from 1776 to the present. The merchants, missionaries and Marines - however well intentioned - often saw in Asia and Asians what they wanted to see, rather than the realities of those cultures and peoples.  View Trailer
     
  10. The Pacific Century: The Future of the Pacific Basin
    This final episode looks at the difficult social problems - pollution, population growth, trade friction, immigration - that are shared by the entire region. In the context of the growing economic and ecological interdependence of the Asian-Pacific nations, it examines emerging international conflicts as well as possible solutions.  View Trailer

PBI Home  |   Pacific Century  |   Academics  |   Projects  |   Archive  |   Outreach  |   Publications
The Pacific Basin Institute at Pomona College · Copyright © 2002-03
333 North College Way · Claremont, CA 91711
Contact the Pacific Basin Institute.
Pomona College Home