Southeast Asian Responses To Globalization

Focuses on the globalization-democratization nexus and shows how governance is being restructured and democracy sometimes deepened in this new global era.

Presents a multidimensional perspective of globalisation in Southeast Asia. Looks at political, economic, security, social, and cultural dimensions of globalisation and local responses, showing evidence of complex interfacing between the global and the local, championing the need for a multidisciplinary approach to globalisation studies.

This book questions why Southeast Asian nation states are struggling to adopt full-fledged liberal democracy and attempts to better understand the relationship between globalization and models of democracy. Country studies are covered mostly by native Southeast Asian scholars who analyse recent developments as well as specific concerns that have arisen from political crises, citizen uprisings, ethnic identity politics, political reforms, social justice and inequality, and the persistence of the political elite. The collection highlights factors which have impacted the different regional and national paths taken such as: the legacy of the Cold War, rapid economic development and liberalization, external economic globalization, the important role of informal politics, powerful elites, and weak but emerging middle classes. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of regional studies of Southeast Asia, Democracy, Sociology, Politics and Globalization Studies.

The rapid postwar economic growth in the Southeast Asia region has led to a transformation of many of the societies there, together with the development of new types of anthropological research in the region. Local societies with originally quite different cultures have been incorporated into multi-ethnic states with their own projects of nation-building based on the creation of "national cultures" using these indigenous elements. At the same time, the expansion of international capitalism has led to increasing flows of money, people, languages and cultures across national boundaries, resulting in new hybrid social structures and cultural forms. This book examines the nature of these processes in contemporary Southeast Asia with detailed case studies drawn from countries across the region, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. At the macro-level these include studies of nation-building and the incorporation of minorities. At the micro-level they range from studies of popular cultural forms, such as music and textiles to the impact of new sects and the world religions on local religious practice. Moving between the global and the local are the various streams of migrants within the region, including labor migrants responding to the changing distribution of economic opportunities and ethnic minorities moving in response to natural disaster.

This volume investigates the appropriate position of Islam and opposing perceptions of Muslims in Southeast Asia. The contributors examine how Southeast Asian Muslims respond to globalization in their particular regional, national and local settings, and suggest global solutions for key local issues.

For anyone seeking a diverse range of perspectives on globalisation in the Asia-Pacific region, this collection of highly readable essays is a good place to start. Focusing on individual countries, the chapters examine the specific modalities of global integration and the responses of different sections of society in each country. The authors address questions of major importance for democratic societies, such as: the connection between globalisation and the rise of religious extremism; whether globalisation is in reality a new form of imperial preference; who the winners and losers are. These are complemented by three short case studies dealing with Indonesia s unrealised potential, foreign investment in China and patterns in the movement of people between Hong Kong and the mainland. The essays provide a rich source of thought-provoking analysis of the complex cultural and political responses arising from both opportunities provided by globalisation and its more negative impacts. Melanie Beresford, Macquarie University, Australia Globalization in the Asian Region draws confident ragged lines across disciplines, themes and the conventional boundaries of scholarship. The range of material in the anthology is astounding. The diversity and admixture of political positions and approaches is confronting. Contemporary Asia is thus mapped without overgeneralizing a homogenous whole. Paul James, RMIT University, Australia This collection of thoughtful essays provides a reliable picture of the dynamic and often ironic operation of globalization in Asia today and challenges individuals to believe that as communities we have a choice in how we respond and contribute to globalization. The editors highlight the multifaceted nature of globalization and bring to the fore its supraterritoriality. A dozen detailed studies make good on these claims from analyses of American militancy since 9-11, terrorism, and poverty, to case studies on Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and China. These essays make clear the interactive nature of globalization as various economic, cultural, and political forces pour into Asian societies while the impact of their responses from exports to currency fluctuations to migration flows to transnational religious movements in turn reshape the selfsame globalization process. Timothy Cheek, University of British Columbia, Canada Bringing together contributors from both the university sector and business-centered research institutions, this comprehensive volume offers diverse perspectives on the impacts and consequences of globalization in different parts of the Asian region. Each chapter offers a substantial account of globalization within a particular nation-state or area in the region. Different understandings underpin the chapters. Some contributors perceive globalization as progress in the form of economically driven processes that have made nations mutually dependent in unprecedented and complex ways. Others emphasize the uneven outcomes of globalization, as well as the stakes for economic growth and social order in the global climate of deepening political and religious divisions since September 2001. General and specialist readers alike will gain an appreciation of the myriad emphases placed on globalization within different nations and from various vantage points. The book showcases diverse styles of discourse and serves to greatly broaden the scope of what can be discussed under the rubric of globalization within a single volume.

While economic globalization benefited Southeast Asia, especially during the 1990s boom, the region now seems to be caught between two emerging economic giants - China and India. What challenges and opportunities does the rise of China and India pose for Southeast Asia and how should policy-makers respond? Are bilateral free trade arrangements and bilateral economic partnerships a boon or bane for competitiveness? In identifying approaches and strategies to coping with these challenges and leveraging on the opportunities available, this book also links the quest for competitiveness with the necessity of social protection. The link comes in the form of the people who work for firms as human resources, and as users and innovators of technology. The book acknowledges and discusses the problems of inadequate technological and innovative capacity and the problems of managing labour productivity in Southeast Asia. However, the book also cautions against focusing on people solely as productive labour, whether in production or the knowledge sector. By highlighting the adverse social, economic and political consequences of ignoring social protection issues and challenging the myth that addressing social protection undermines competitiveness, the book emphasizes the social responsibilities incumbent on governments and firms in this age of growing economic insecurities.