The Politics of Multiculturalism

The Politics of Multiculturalism

Author: Robert W. Hefner

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2001-08-31

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0824864964

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Few challenges to the modern dream of democratic citizenship appear greater than the presence of severe ethnic, religious, and linguistic divisions in society. With their diverse religions and ethnic communities, the Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia have grappled with this problem since achieving independence after World War II. Each country has on occasion been torn by violence over the proper terms for accommodating pluralism. Until the Asian economic crisis of 1997, however, these nations also enjoyed one of the most sustained economic expansions the non-Western world has ever seen. This timely volume brings together fifteen leading specialists of the region to consider the impact of two generations of nation-building and market-making on pluralism and citizenship in these deeply divided Asian societies. Examining the new face of pluralism from the perspective of markets, politics, gender, and religion, the studies show that each country has developed a strikingly different response to the challenges of citizenship and diversity. The contributors, most of whom come Southeast Asia, pay particular attention to the tension between state and societal approaches to citizenship. They suggest that the achievement of an effectively participatory public sphere in these countries will depend not only on the presence of an independent "civil society," but on a synergy of state and society that nurtures a public culture capable of mediating ethnic, religious, and gender divides. The Politics of Multiculturalism will be of special interest to students of Southeast Asian history and society, anthropologists grappling with questions of citizenship and culture, political scientists studying democracy across cultures, and all readers concerned with the prospects for civility and tolerance in a multicultural world.


Culture and Society in the Asia-Pacific

Culture and Society in the Asia-Pacific

Author: Colin Mackerras

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2005-07-28

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1134691297

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This important new text examines the crucial social and cultural factors associated with the rise of the Asia- Pacific region at the end of the Twentieth Century. It takes a close look at those areas which have affected the everyday life of the people most directly. These include: * the family * gender relations and the position of women * religion * the arts, with specific reference to film * ethnic relations and population migration * education, and the images of the Asia-Pacific. The authors discuss real tensions between tradition and modernity in different nations of the Asia-Pacific, exploring the effects that economic growth has on powerful traditional cultures.


Citizens, Democracy, and Markets Around the Pacific Rim

Citizens, Democracy, and Markets Around the Pacific Rim

Author: Russell J. Dalton

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2006-11-02

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 0199297258

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East Asia is one of the most dynamic areas of political change in the world today-what role do citizens play in these processes of change? Drawing upon a unique set of coordinated public opinion surveys conducted by the World Values Survey, this book provides a dramatically new image of the political cultures of East Asia. Most East Asian citizens have strong democratic aspirations, even in still autocratic nations. Most East Asians support liberal market reforms, even in nationswhere state socialism has been dominant. The books findings thus provide a new perspective on the political values of Asian publics. We demonstrate that the dramatic socioeconomic changes of the past several decades have transformed public opinion, altering many of the social norms traditionallyidentified with Asian values, and creating public support for further political and economic modernization of the region. Political culture in East Asia is not an impediment to change, but creates the potential for even greater democratization and marketization.Comparative Politics is a series for students and teachers of political science that deals with contemporary government and politics. The General Editors are Max Kaase, Professor of Political Science, Vice President and Dean, School of Humanities and Social Science, International University Bremen, Germany; and Kenneth Newton, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Southampton. The series is produced in association with the European Consortium for Political Research.


Government Policies and Ethnic Relations in Asia and the Pacific

Government Policies and Ethnic Relations in Asia and the Pacific

Author: Michael E. Brown

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 1997-10-20

Total Pages: 628

ISBN-13: 9780262522458

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Efforts to contend with tensions inherent in multiethnic societies; case studies of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Ethnic conflict, one of the most serious and widespread problems in the world today, can undermine efforts to promote political and economic development, as well as political, economic, and social justice. It can also lead to violence and open warfare, producing horrifying levels of death and destruction. Although government policies on ethnic issues often have profound effects on a country, the subject has been neglected by most scholars and analysts. This volume analyzes different policies governments have pursued in their efforts to contend with the tensions inherent in multiethnic societies. The book focuses on Asia and the Pacific, the most populous and economically vibrant part of the world. The heart of the book is a set of case studies of government policies in sixteen countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The studies consider a wide range of political, economic, educational, linguistic, and cultural policies, and how these policies have evolved over time. Using a broad comparative perspective to assess the effectiveness of different governmental approaches, the authors offer policy recommendations that cut across individual countries and regions.


Nations, National Narratives and Communities in the Asia-Pacific

Nations, National Narratives and Communities in the Asia-Pacific

Author: Norman Vasu

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-09-05

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1134598173

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Many states in the Asia Pacific region are not built around a single homogenous people, but rather include many large, varied, different national groups. This book explores how states in the region attempt to develop commonality and a nation and the difficulties that arise. It discusses the consequences which ensue when competing narratives clash, and examines the nature of resistance to dominant narratives which arise. It considers the problems in a wide range of countries in the region including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.


Democracy and Diversity : Political Engineering in the Asia-Pacific

Democracy and Diversity : Political Engineering in the Asia-Pacific

Author: Benjamin Reilly

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2006-11-16

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 0199286876

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Is there an Asia-Pacific model of democracy? Over the past two decades, more than a dozen Asian and Pacific states have made the transition to democratic rule. But many of these states are also ethnically, linguistically, and regionally diverse, creating real challenges for effective government. This book explains how the Asia-Pacific's political reformers responded to the twin challenges of democracy and diversity through ambitious and often innovative political engineering. Far-reaching reforms to electoral, parliamentary, and party systems have seen the emergence of a distinctive regional model of democracy. Benjamin Reilly analyses this new approach to the design of political institutions, and its consequences for democratic governance in the Asia-Pacific and other world regions. Oxford Studies in Democratization is a series for scholars and students of comparative politics and related disciplines. Volumes concentrate on the comparative study of the democratization process that accompanied the decline and termination of the cold war. The geographical focus of the series is primarily Latin America, the Caribbean, Southern and Eastern Europe, and relevant experiences in Africa and Asia. The series editor is Laurence Whitehead, Official Fellow, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.


The Politics of the Asia-Pacific

The Politics of the Asia-Pacific

Author: Mark S. Williams

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2022-01-10

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 1487525990

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This book introduces readers to the deep political tensions in the Asia-Pacific and offers classroom simulations designed to encourage students to delve deeper into the issues and dynamics of the region.