Application and Reflection Questions
1
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How did Akbar transform the Mughal Empire? What steps did he take to create a hybrid Indo-Islamic culture in his realm?
2
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How ethnically and religiously diverse was the Sultanate of Gujarat, and how did diversity contribute to its success?
3
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Why was the late fifteenth century known as the Golden Age of Malacca? What contributed to making it a golden age?
4
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If the Portuguese and Spanish had not been interested in converting people to Christianity, do you believe they would have been more successful in achieving their commercial goals? Why or why not?
5
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What cultures interacted in the Malaccan Sultanate and elsewhere in the Indian Ocean? Why did Islam become a dominant cultural influence?
6
.
How did interactions with Europe affect the lives of Chinese of different social classes during the Ming and Qing dynasties?
7
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To what extent did Tokugawa Japan and Ming and Qing dynasty China attempt to close themselves off to foreign influences? Why did they do this? To what extent were they successful at eliminating foreign influences?
8
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What types of economic, political, and cultural exchanges took place in Tokugawa Japan and Qing dynasty China? How did these societies respond to those changes?