Culture and Society in the Asia-Pacific

by Mackerras,Colin

• ISBN13: 9780415172776
• ISBN10: 0415172772
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-06-26
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The societies and cultures of the Asia-Pacific are undergoing enormous changes which have radically altered the life of the average person, making it very different from that of their parents' and grandparents' generations.Culture and Society in the Asia-Pacificexamines the critical social and cultural factors in the rise of the Asia-Pacific region at the end of the twentieth century. It looks at the tension between tradition and modernity, especially how Western and other Asian cultures have had an impact on traditional cultures. The growing economy in this region plays a significant role in how societies are changing. This volume addresses the issues which affect people's everyday lives, including the family, gender relations, religion, the arts, film, ethnic relations, population migration education, and images of the Pacific.

Author Biography

Chilla Bulbeck is Professor of Women's Studies at the University of Adelaide Lucie Cheng is Professor of Sociology and of Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles Linda C. Erlich is Associate Professor of Japanese Comparative Literature and Cinema at Case Western Reserve University Mary Farquhar is a senior lecturer in the School of Modern Asian Studies at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia John N. Hawkins is Dean of International Studies and Overseas Programs at UCLA and a Professor of Comparative Education in the Graduate School of Education Julia Day Howell is a senior lecturer at Griffith University's School of Asian Studies, Brisbane, Australia Terence T. Hull is Director of Graduate Studies in Demography, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University Jeyamalar Kathirithamby-Wells, formerly Professor of Asian History at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, now lectures and researches at Cambridge University, UK Marian Katz is studying for a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA. She has an MA degree in Asian Studies and has taught in China for four years before returning to pursue the doctorate Stephanie Lawson is Professor of International Relations (Asia-Pacific) at the University of East Anglia Colin Mackerras is Professor and Head of the School of Modern Asian Studies at Griffith University, Brisbane Richard Maidment is Professor of US Government and Politics at the Open University in the UK David C. Schak is a Senior Lecturer at Griffith University Stephanie Taylor is a Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths College, University of London Anthony van Fossen teaches interdisciplinary social sciences at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia

Table of Contents

Preface	viii
Chapter 1 Diversity and convergence in Asia-Pacific society and culture	1	(14)
Colin Mackerras
Richard Maidment
David Schak
1.1 Introduction	1	(1)
1.2 The Asian way	1	(4)
1.3 Diversity in societies and cultures	5	(3)
1.4 Convergent forces in the Pacific	8	(3)
1.5 Conclusion: tradition and modernization	11	(4)
Chapter 2 The old and the new	15	(24)
J. Kathirithamby-Wells
2.1 Introduction: Asia-Pacific integration	15	(1)
2.2 The pre-modern era c. 1500-1800	16	(3)
2.3 The colonial era, c. 1800-1945	19	(9)
2.4 The new era, 1946-	28	(8)
2.5 Conclusion	36	(3)
Chapter 3 Population	39	(26)
Terence T. Hull
3.1 Introduction	39	(5)
3.2 Peopling East Asia and the Pacific Rim, 5000 BC to AD 2000	44	(2)
3.3 Expansions, conquests and empires	46	(3)
3.4 Demographic revolutions	49	(4)
3.5 Demographic tensions	53	(5)
3.6 The struggle for decent demographic futures	58	(5)
3.7 Conclusion	63	(2)
Chapter 4 Migration and the diaspora communities	65	(24)
Lucie Cheng
Marian Katz
4.1 Introduction	65	(2)
4.2 Migration and the nation-state	67	(2)
4.3 Diverse experiences or diverse narratives?	69	(3)
4.4 Types of diasporas	72	(2)
4.5 Migration patterns, types of diasporas and diasporic identities	74	(3)
4.6 Changing configurations	77	(7)
4.7 Emerging diasporas: a transnational professional/service class?	84	(2)
4.8 Summary and conclusion	86	(3)
Chapter 5 Race, ethnicity and language	89	(26)
Anthony van Fossen
5.1 Six degrees of separation	89	(1)
5.2 Principal ethnic groups	90	(2)
5.3 The case studies	92	(19)
5.4 Summary	111	(4)
Chapter 6 Religion	115	(26)
Julia Day Howell
6.1 Introduction	115	(1)
6.2 Which religions?	116	(5)
6.3 Religions: coming or going in modern East Asia?	121	(10)
6.4 Emergent patterns in East Asian religion and spirituality	131	(7)
6.5 Conclusion	138	(3)
Chapter 7 Education	141	(22)
John Hawkins
7.1 Introduction	141	(5)
7.2 Motivation and values in East Asian education	146	(12)
7.3 Conclusion	158	(5)
Chapter 8 Women's movements in the Asia-Pacific	163	(22)
Chilla Bulbeck
8.1 Introduction	163	(1)
8.2 Comparing the status of women	164	(7)
8.3 Women's movement activism	171	(8)
8.4 The international traffic in women	179	(2)
8.5 Conclusion	181	(4)
Chapter 9 Pacific images	185	(22)
Stephanie Taylor
9.1 Introduction	185	(1)
9.2 The nature of images	186	(1)
9.3 The relevance of images to the study of the Asia-Pacific	187	(1)
9.4 The image of emptiness	188	(6)
9.5 The primitive islands of love and happiness	194	(4)
9.6 Changing images of place	198	(3)
9.7 The power of images to construct relationships	201	(4)
9.8 Conclusion	205	(2)
Chapter 10 Asia-Pacific cinemas	207	(24)
Mary Farquhar
Linda Erlich
10.1 Introduction	207	(1)
10.2 The significance of film	207	(2)
10.3 National cinemas in three locations: Hollywood, Japan and China	209	(1)
10.4 Backgrounds	209	(6)
10.5 Narrative	215	(5)
10.6 Aesthetics	220	(6)
10.7 Conclusion	226	(5)
Chapter 11 The culture of politics	231	(22)
Stephanie Lawson
11.1 Introduction	231	(3)
11.2 The idea of culture	234	(3)
11.3 Culture and the state	237	(8)
11.4 The Asian values debate	245	(4)
11.5 Conclusion	249	(4)
Acknowledgements	253	(2)
List of contributors	255	(4)
Index	259