State Making In Asia

Including contributions from an international team of leading experts, this volume examines state making from a uniquely Asian perspective and reveals some of the misunderstandings that arise when states and state making are judged solely on the basis of Western history. The contributors argue that if we are to understand states in Asia then we must first recognize the particular combination of institution and ideologies embedded in Asian state making and their distinctiveness from the Western experience. Presenting new empirical and conceptual material based on original research, the book provides a unique theoretical reflection of the state through a thorough comparison of East Asian nations and, as such, will be a valuable resource to scholars of Asian politics and international relations.

Britain’s main imperial possessions in Asia were granted independence in the 1940s and 1950s and needed to craft constitutions for their new states. Invariably the indigenous elites drew upon British constitutional ideas and institutions regardless of the political conditions that prevailed in their very different lands. Many Asian nations called upon the services of Englishman and Law Professor Sir Ivor Jennings to advise or assist their own constitution making. Although he was one of the twentieth century’s most prominent constitutional scholars, his opinion and influence were often controversial and remain so due to his advocating British norms in Asian form. This book examines the process of constitutional formation in the era of decolonisation and state building in Asia. It sheds light upon the influence and participation of Jennings in particular and British ideas in general on democracy and institutions across the Asian continent. Critical cases studies on India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Nepal – all linked by Britain and Jennings – assess the distinctive methods and outcomes of constitution making and how British ideas fared in these major states. The book offers chapters on the Westminster model in Asia, Human Rights, Nationalism, Ethnic politics, Federalism, Foreign influence, Decolonisation, Authoritarianism, the Rule of Law, Parliamentary democracy and the power and influence of key political actors. Taking an original stance on constitution making in Asia after British rule, it also puts forward ideas of contemporary significance for Asian states and other emerging democracies engaged in constitution making, regime change and seeking to understand their colonial past. The first political, historical or constitutional analysis comparing Asia’s experience with its indelible British constitutional legacy, this book is a critical resource on state building and constitution making in Asia following independence. It will appeal to students and scholars of world history, public law and politics.

The idea of the ‘nation’ is a Western concept which has been applied to Southeast Asia. It is a project which has been in progress since the last century but is still incomplete. Various theoretical frameworks which are associated with nation and nation-building in the Southeast Asian region have been briefly dealt with. The book aims to examine the making of the nations in Southeast Asia using both historical and political science approaches. Concepts related to nation such as ethnicity, state, indigenism and citizenship have also been analysed in the Southeast Asian context. Specific examples of nation-building in five major Southeast Asian countries are presented. Problems and prospects of Southeast Asia's nation-building and citizenship building in the era of globalisation are also discussed. Contents:Multi-Ethnic Society, Conflict Regulation and Nation-BuildingNation, State, Ethnicity and IndigenismNation, Citizenship and IndigenismEthnicity, Indigenism and Southeast Asia's Citizenship LawsEthnic Chinese and the Formation of Southeast Asian NationsChina's Citizenship Laws and Southeast Asian ChineseNation-Building or Citizenship-Building in Singapore?Indigenism, Islam and Nation-Building in MalaysiaEthnicity, Religion and Nation-Building in IndonesiaThe Philippines and Thailand: Ethnicity and Islam in Nation-BuildingCitizenship, Nation-State and Nation-Building in Globalizing Southeast AsiaAppendices:Ethnic and Religious Compositions of Southeast Asian CountriesCitizenship Law of Brunei DarussalamCitizenship Law of CambodiaCitizenship Law of IndonesiaCitizenship Law of LaosCitizenship Law of Malaysia (The Citizenship Section of Constitution)Citizenship Law of MyanmarCitizenship Law of the Philippines (The Citizenship Information in the Constitution)Citizenship Law of SingaporeCitizenship Law of ThailandCitizenship Law of Vietnam Readership: Undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers, academics, and members of the general public who are interested in Southeast Asian politics, in particular, the topic of nation-building. Key Features:The book is written by a Southeast Asian scholar, familiar with both Asian and Western culturesThe making of Southeast Asian nations is topical as many nations, including Singapore, are celebrating their “nationhood”The discussion on citizenship is based on the Citizenship Laws of the Southeast Asian statesKeywords:Nations;State;Ethnicity;Indigenism;Citizenship;Southeast AsiaReviews: “Professor Suryadinata has spent much of his life studying the modern polity called a nation. This volume brings together his thoughts on the multiple aspects of that very elusive ideal. It will provide generations of students with a useful guide through the labyrinth of the new forces at work in our region. It therefore gives me great pleasure to welcome his contributions here.” Professor Wang Gungwu

A study of the relationship between environmental cooperation and state building in post-Soviet Central Asia.

This volume examines state making projects from an Asian perspective, highlighting the particular combination of institutions and ideologies embedded in the Asian state-making projects and demonstrates their distinctiveness from the Western experience.

This book examines the vast and largely uncharted world of cultural/creative city-making in Asia. It explores the establishment of policy models and practices against the backdrop of a globalizing world, and considers the dynamic relationship between powerful actors and resources that impact Asian cities. Making Cultural Cities in Asia approaches this dynamic process through the lens of assemblage: how the policy models of cultural/creative cities have been extracted from the flow of ideas, and how re-invented versions have been assembled, territorialized, and exported. This approach reveals a spectrum between globally circulating ideals on the one hand, and the place-based contexts and contingencies on the other. At one end of the spectrum, this book features chapters on policy mobility, in particular the political construction of the "web" of communication and the restructuring or rescaling of the state. At the other end, chapters examine the increasingly fragmented social forces, their changing roles in the process, and their negotiations, alignments, and resistances. This book will be of interest to researchers and policy-makers concerned with cultural and urban studies, creative industries and Asian studies.

"The book aims to examine the making of the nations in Southeast Asia using both historical and political science approaches. Concepts related to nations such as ethnicity, state, indigenism and citizenship have also been analysed in the Southeast Asian context. Specific examples of nation-building in five major Southeast Asian countries are presented. Problems and prospects of Southeast Asia's nation-building and citizenship building in the era of globalisation are also discussed"--

The twenty-first century has been dubbed the Asian Century. Highlighting diverse thinker-politicians rather than billionaire businessmen, Makers of Modern Asia presents eleven leaders who theorized and organized anticolonial movements, strategized and directed military campaigns, and designed and implemented political systems.