Multiculturalism in Southeast Asia (original) (raw)

The multiculturalism vs interculturalism: Implications for Asia

2018 KAME International Conference, 2018

This purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it examines the debate in the literature about multiculturalism and interculturalism as theories and policies for addressing ethno-cultural diversity and educational equity. Second, it uses this debate as an entry point for examining factors that shape minority/majority relations in Asia's multi-ethnic societies and the implications and relevance of multiculturalism/interculturalism for these contexts, particularly in China where we work. Our epistemological purpose is not to advocate for multiculturalism or interculturalism but to extend the growing body of thinking and scholarship on diversity in Asia by elucidating some of the ruling principles of intercultural interaction (Guilherme & Dietz, 2015; Sealy, 2018) and how this "talks back to Western scholarship" (Hu & Singh, 2017). Specifically, we ask: What factors mediate diversity relations in countries of Asia? Are the concepts of multiculturalism and/or interculturalism relevant and/or useful for understanding and managing diversity in Asia? Do new theories, policies and modes of practice need to be developed to ensure social and education equity? If so, what factors might be considered given the distinctive and diverse cultural, political, social and educational conditions across Asia and particularly in China as the emerging global centre of economic and strategic power in the 21 st century?

The State, Minorities and the Dynamics of Multiculturalism in the Developing World

1. Background The twenty-first century world is a place of extreme complication when one tries to understand the issue of peace and well-being of the human race. Does peaceful living simply mean the absence of war or does it go beyond to articulate a situation where harmony defines every step, taken to make way for a better living? Political scientists and philosophers have been abound with ideas and theories to understand as well as explain the dynamics of peaceful coexistence and harmonious living. One of the outcomes of such efforts was the formulation of a strategy for accommodating multiple cultural entities in the confines of a single state. This was the policy of 'multiculturalism'. The concept of multiculturalism originated in the modern first world societies and came to be applied in the context of post-colonial societies later on. As a body of thought in political philosophy, multiculturalism seeks to prescribe the proper way to respond to cultural and religious diversities, which eventually brings in the question of minority and majority cultures. Its importance lies in the fact that multiculturalism nurtures the practise of putting noticeable emphasis on, what can be called the " group-differentiated rights, " a term coined by Will Kymlicka. This does not merely stop at tolerating group differences but also recognizes as well as positively accommodates such differences to treat the members of minority groups as equal citizens. I propose to analyse the background, content and implications of the concept of multiculturalism through my study in the context of the developing world which precisely refers to those regions which have been in the throes of colonial bondage for a century or two till the middle of nineteenth century. The specific reason for taking up the context of the developing world is that this was the part of the world which has always been understood to have experienced unique forms of state formation throughout the ages in history and yet, at the turn of the twentieth century, it is this very region which turned to be the imperfect replicas of the 'Mother States' of the colonial masters. 2. Multinational, Multi-ethnic and Multicultural 2.1. Multinational versus Multi-ethnic T. K. Oommen makes a distinction between 'multinational' and 'multi-ethnic' states, both of which, according to him, pertain to the definition of multiculturalism but are dissimilar r in nature. In case of a multinational state, dissidence can come in the form of Abstract: The idea of multiculturalism emerged in the wake of the 1970s, in the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. The circumstance was the incorporation and harmonious co-habitation of multiple cultural groups within these states. By and large, the groups with diverse cultural origins owed their presence to transmigration undertaken during the colonial as also the post-colonial times, in those countries where the movements began. To state precisely, multiculturalism as an approach, was advanced in particular, to deal with the problems of marginalization of a certain group or groups, for that matter, by recognizing that every culture, in actuality was inherently plural in nature. This implied that cultures never grew in isolation but in conjunction with the other cultures, with absolutely different traditions and customs, which meant that, the identity of one culture got defined in contrast to the 'significant other'. This in turn, sought to inculcate a sense of belonging among the divergent identity-groups with the recognition of 'group-differentiated' rights that would confer equal status to one and all. However, given that each state has its own history and dynamics of growth and development and this got reflected respectively on the policies and their implementation as well as the outcomes. The success or the failure of the very concept itself was hinged on the nature of the state machinery and hence, the relevance of the idea itself lends itself to the nature of the state.

Introduction. Ethnic minorities in Asia: Inclusion or Exclusion?

Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol.35, no.4, 2011

This special issue, devoted to ethnic minorities in Asia, originated with the International Symposium on Ethnic Minorities in Asia: Subjects or Citizens, held at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. As one of the most ethnically-diverse regions in the world, Asia is the site of large indigenous minority populations as well as non-indigenous minorities through ever-growing legal and illegal migrant flows. This article maps out some of the key themes explored by the contributors to this special issue in the processes and structures of accommodation for Asia’s minorities. These themes revolve around the changing meaning of citizenship in Asian contexts, state models of accommodation, constructions and representations of identity and belonging, post-colonial legacies and nation-building, the legitimacy of minority rights claims, and questions of human security. This article provides an overview of the theoretical and empirical contributions that the essays in this special issue bring to the study of ethnic minority issues in increasingly heterogeneous and divided Asian societies.