Help Bobkindles expand his knowledge

[BobKKKindle$]

Having done almost only Chinese history, both for my studies and personal interest, over the past year or so, I'm looking to study another country or region for a change. At the moment I'm thinking Vietnam or Korea, but any recommendations of countries and the best books on those countries (i.e. social history or historical materialist perspectives) would be appreciated.

[Sasha]

do korea, you might turn in anarchist...

[Pogue]

Korea certainly seems to have an interesting history. Are you wanting to stick to East Asia?

[Invader Zim]

Why limit yourself to studying on a national level?

[Sasha]

learning in one country...

[scarletghoul]

India is pretty interesting, and very relevent for the modern communist.

[Искра]

India is pretty interesting, and very relevent for the modern communist.
He asked for specific countries.


I would take Vietnam, because Vietnam situation had great impact on Western world.

[scarletghoul]

India is a country, Jurko.

[Pogue]

India is a country, Jurko.

Jurko meant he asked for specifically either Vietnam or Korea.

[ZeroNowhere]

In which case they were still wrong.


At the moment I'm thinking Vietnam or Korea, but any recommendations of countries and the best books on those countries (i.e. social history or historical materialist perspectives) would be appreciated.Read. Comprehend. Merci.

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

I think korea would be interesting as you would get to read about the various types of movements taht took place there leading up to the split.

[Devrim]

A couple of interesting articles one on Korea and the other on East Asia in general by Loren Goldner:

http://home.earthlink.net/~lrgoldner/korea.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~lrgoldner/asiamarx.html

Devrim

[ZeroNowhere]

Incidentally, are you looking to go into any specific eras, or will any time periods do?

[Pogue]

In which case they were still wrong.

Read. Comprehend. Merci.

I never understood your posting style.

[Random Precision]

Look into the works of Bruce Cumings on the Korean War- The Origins of the Korean War in two volumes is especially ace. Look for Gabriel Kolko on Vietnam, during the American War and afterwards.

Also if you'd care to look into India, which I know a bit more about, check out Romila Thapar and DD Kosambi for a Marxist appraisal of early Indian society. Especially Thapar's Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. John Keay's History of India for all that it leaves out is also a great introduction to the subject. Also I know you don't read much fiction, but I would highly recommend Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. It's a quasi-magical realist take on modern India, which also in my view incorporates a historical materialist perspective on the events it records.

[RedStarOverChina]

My favoriate is the wars between Ming China, Chosun (Korea) and Japan under the daimyo Hideyoshi in late 16th century (Japan's invasions of Chosun). Definitely one of the most fascinating (abeit brutal) chapter in East Asian history.

[BurnTheOliveTree]

Study thematically, it's way more interesting than regionally I think. :)

[bcbm]

i would say go for an african country, perhaps mozambique? seems to be an oft ignored region by communists.

[A.R.Amistad]

I'd say Vietnam is the place to go. There was a local brigade of various socialists who I know who went there and said it was great.

[Knight of Cydonia]

i suggest indonesia, with the history of the rise and fall of communism in the country. the history that has been manipulated by the former dictator leader Suharto, the false history that still indoctrinating most of the people there to believe that communism and any other leftist ideology is bad as hell.

[Dimentio]

Having done almost only Chinese history, both for my studies and personal interest, over the past year or so, I'm looking to study another country or region for a change. At the moment I'm thinking Vietnam or Korea, but any recommendations of countries and the best books on those countries (i.e. social history or historical materialist perspectives) would be appreciated.

If you want to understand the South Korean perception of Korean history, I recommend the "Book of Hwan Guk" which has some sort of idealised mythical history.

[brigadista]

horn of africa -somalia and sudan but that is a tall order.....

[La Comédie Noire]

France! Especially any works by Albert Soboul.