Transcript Depth - Team Geier

CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIA
Politics and Religion
POLITICAL ORIGINS
C/SA have always been a highway between Asia and the Middle East
 Movements of peoples from all directions influenced the people there
Indus River Civilization
 Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
 Centralized, stratified states
Steppe
The Indo-Aryans (from around the Caucases)
 Moved into the region and established their dominance
 Segregated society based on skin color (light skin and dark skin)
 Aryans and “dasas” (enemies/servants)
RELIGIOUS ORIGINS
Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
 We aren’t sure, but we can assume it was a form of animistic paganism
The Indo-Aryans
 Brought their holy text, the Vedas
 A set of books about what would later become Hinduism
RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT
Vedic tradition would mature into Hinduism
 One supreme being with many lesser gods (polytheistic, but not)
Major Hindu principles
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Samsara and reincarnation: the ceaseless cycle
Moksha: breaking the cycle and reunion
Karma: perpetuating the cycle
Dharma: your divine duty (the Caste System)
Siddhārtha Gautama (6th century BC)
 A prince that sought the meaning to life
 Enlightenment, “the Buddha”, and the Four Noble Truths
 Buddhism and the Caste System
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT
India under Buddhism (Ashoka: 3rd century BC)
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Converted after witnessing war
Wanted a society of universal acceptance
Built hospitals, shrines, and clinics for all
Called his people “his children”
Later reverted to Hinduism
 Buddhism went east
The Mongol invasions (13th century AD)
 Conquered CA and most of SA
 The Pax Mongolica: Freedom of travel, trade, religion
The Mughal Empire (16th century AD)
 Islamic/Hindu divide of Indians
RELIGION TODAY
Central Asia
 Primarily Islamic (all the “stan” nations)
 Solidarity movements under the Soviet Union
 Issues with Xinjiang Province, China
 Uighur Muslim population (Turkic)
South Asia
 Divided between Islamic and Hindu populations
 Pakistan and Bangladesh (Muslim Indians)
 India (Hindu Indians)
POLITICS TODAY
Central Asia
 Struggling from Post-Soviet era
 American intervention in 1979 Soviet-Afghan War
 CIA training of Osama bin Laden (Saudi prince)
 Preaching of “Jihad” against invaders (whoops)
 Blowback, Israel and 9/11
South Asia
 Pakistani issues with stability
 Fundamentalism (Taliban)
 India as world’s largest democracy
 Issues with Westernization
 Both nations are hostile and nuclear
 Kashmir