This subject will introduce students to ethnographic field study through a close examination of the anthropology of two regions with which Australia is geographically and politically aligned; the Pacific Islands and South-east Asia. Drawing upon classic and contemporary ethnography the subject will provide opportunities for comparative and trans-historical studies of how cultures in these regions have been constructed and changed in relation to larger global dynamics. It will also provide an insight into the ways in which anthropological theory is developed in the context of attempts to explain and interpret cultural difference. Key topics of study, explored through case studies, will include the colonial experience, traditions and modernities, nations and nationalism, transnationalism, religion, social conflict, and material cultures. The subject will include ethnographic films.