Cultures In Asean And The 21st Century

Southeast Asia has in recent years become a crossroads of cultures with high levels of ethnic pluralism, not only between countries, sub-regions and urban areas, but also at the local levels of community and neighbourhood. Illustrated by a series of international case studies, this book demonstrates how the forces of 'post-colonialism' in their various manifestations are accelerating social change and creating new and 'imagined' communities, some of which are potentially disruptive and which may well threaten the longer term sustainability of the region. Interdisciplinary in approach, this book brings together geographers, historians, anthropologists, architects, education specialists, planners and sociologists to make connections and new insights and to provide a truly comprehensive view of heritage, culture and identity in this dynamic region.

A new edition of this classic study of mandala Southeast Asia. The revised book includes a substantial, retrospective postscript examining contemporary scholarship that has contributed to the understanding of Southeast Asian history since 1982.

Investigates the Singapore Government's approach to the construction of national identity. This book focuses on the global/national nexus: the tensions between the necessity to embrace the global to ensure economic survival, yet needing a committed population to support the perpetuation of the nation-state and its economic success.

The economic integration of Southeast Asia or ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) offers enormous opportunities for its members to develop and collectively collaborate with other economies. Combining the culture of the region with global business in an expanding digital atmosphere, however, has caused numerous challenges on an international scale. Due to the importance of this economic player in Asia, research on key topics including Islamic economics, Islamic finance, technology, and cultural issues in doing business are essential to understand the ASEAN competitive landscape and its relations with other countries. Economics, Business, and Islamic Finance in ASEAN Economics Community is a pivotal reference source that explores key issues and enhances understanding of business and economics in the ASEAN community and explores the collaboration between this community and Islamic finance and technology. While highlighting topics such as global business, smart manufacturing, and human resource management, this publication explores sustainable development practices as well as the methods of cultural appreciation in economics. This book is ideally designed for deans, heads of department, directors, politicians, policymakers, economists, corporate heads, senior general managers, managing directors, information technology directors and managers, libraries, academicians, researchers, and students.

This revised and updated edition of the widely praised Democracy and National Identity in Thailand provides readers with a fascinating discussion of how debates about democracy and national identity in Thailand have evolved from the period of counter-insurgency in the 1960s to the current period. Focusing on state and civil society centered democratic projects, Connors uses original Thai language sources to trace how the Thai state developed a democratic ideology that meshed with idealized notions of Thai identity, focusing on the monarchy. The book moves on to explore how non-state actors have mobilized notions of democracy and national identity in their battle against authoritarian rule. It also invites readers to explore democratic ideology as a form of power aimed at creating ideal citizens able to support elite national projects.