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.
Introduction: Un/settled Narrations: Nationalism in the Asia-Pacific
Part 1: Constructing Commonality and the Nation
1. Rethinking the Who, What
and When: Why not Singaporean Military Heroes?
2. The Nation and its Murals:
A Reading of Malaysian Images, 1957-1969 Part 2: Competing Narratives Clash
3. Between Assimilation and Multiculturalism: Social Resilience and the
Governance of Diversity in Singapore
4. (Un)Problematic Multiculturalism:
Challenges and Opportunities for Social Cohesion in New Zealand
5.
Colonialism, Sinicization and Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong: Social
exclusion and barely citizenship
6. Globalization, Multicultural Society and
Consensus Politics in S. Korea Part 3: Resisting dominant narratives
7.
Managing Conflict in Canberra: National Identity and Narrating Difference
8.
Renegotiating Unity and Diversity: Problematic Multiculturalism in
Post-Suharto Indonesia
Norman Vasu is an Assistant Professor in the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University
Yolanda Chin is a Research Fellow in the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University
Kam-yee Law is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Hong Kong Institute of Education