Asian values
This article is part of a series on |
Conservatism in Singapore |
---|
Asian values is a
Definition
Various definitions of Asian values have been put forth. Generally, the phrase alludes to influences by
Proponents of so-called "Asian values", who tend to support Chinese-style
"Asian values" were codified and promoted in the
- Preference for social harmony;
- Concern with socio-economicprosperity and the collective well-being of the community;
- Loyalty and respect towards figures of authority;
- Preference for collectivism and communitarianism.
History
Historically, there has been no shared "Asian" identity, and the concept of unified geographical regional identity at the time of its popularity in the 20th century was not strictly limited to Asia.
Proponents in Malaysia and Singapore claim the concept helped reconcile
In Japan, a concept of "Ideals of the East" was embraced in some nationalist circles because it challenged the West and also because it offered the possibility of Japanese leadership in a new Asia.[10] Some attribute the economic success of East and Southeast Asian nations in the 1960s to 1980s to "Asian values"; a third-way, Asian political model that was an alternative to totalitarianism and liberal democracy.[citation needed][who?] Japan's economic miracle under the 1955 System, where the Liberal Democratic Party has been the dominant Japanese party nearly continuously in power since 1955, is used as an example of the success of this political model.[citation needed]
"Asian values" was also evident in the planning of the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.[clarification needed][11]
The popularity of the concept did not persist. Some speculate it might have contributed to the religious, social, cultural and economic changes occurring in Asia in that time; for example, the
In 2006, Jusuf Kalla, the vice-president of Indonesia, linked Asian values with the proposed East Asian Free Trade Agreement and the East Asian Community arising from the East Asia Summit. He partly defended Asian values by placing emphasis on co-operation over competition.[15]
"Asian values" continues to be discussed in academia with reference to the question of the universality of human rights (as opposed to a position of cultural relativism).[16]
The authors of a study published in 2015 claimed that rice versus wheat agriculture explain differences in analytic thinking, "implicit individualism" and innovation between various Chinese provinces.[17] Compared to wheat farming, rice farming is a labor-intensive practice that requires cooperation among many people.[18] However, the results of the study are controversial due to very small sample sizes for some units of analysis (some samples were as small as fewer than ten individuals), questionable measurement instruments and model misspecification. Using an improved measure of individualism-collectivism, the authors of a replication study found that the conclusion of the 2015 article claiming to show evidence for the relationship between wheat versus rice farming was the result of faulty methodology.[19]
In East Timor, the idea of "Asian values", or "Timorese values", that diverged from the internationally understood idea of democracy emerged following the 2012 East Timorese presidential election. This election saw the incumbent José Ramos-Horta, a member of what was seen as an older generation linked to the introduction of democracy, eliminated in the first round.[20] Ramos-Horta would, however, go on to win the presidency again a decade later, following a campaign aimed at addressing global issues affecting East Timor.[21]
Criticism
A number of criticisms of Asian values have been made.
In 2001 Mark R. Thompson argued that the popularity of the concept waned after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when it became evident that Asia lacked any coherent regional institutional mechanism to deal with the crisis.[30]
See also
- Asiacentrism
- Báizuǒ
- Colonial mentality
- Democracy promotion
- East Asian cultural sphere
- Golden straitjacket
- Guided democracy
- Human rights in Asia
- Illiberal democracy
- Indic cultural sphere
- Integral humanism (India)
- Japanese values
- Liberal autocracy
- Nihonjinron
- National conservatism
- Pan-Asianism
- Philippine–American War
- Responsibility to protect (R2P)
- Social conservatism
- Universal value
- Westernization
- The White Man's Burden
- White savior
References
- ISBN 978-0-230-61549-6, retrieved 18 June 2021
- ^ ISBN 0674049551, 9780674049550.
- ^ Mark R Thompson, "Pacific Asia after 'Asian values'", Third World Quarterly, 2004.
- ISBN 0415338263, 9780415338264.
- ISBN 1136841253, 9781136841255.
- ^ Nishida K Nishida Kitaro Zenshu (Complete Works of Nishida Kitaro in 19 volumes), 4th ed., Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo 1989.
- ^ Zakaria F "A Conversation with Lee Kwan Yu" Foreign Affairs, Journal of the Council on Foreign Affairs, a non-partisan organisation, Florida, US. March – April 1994.
- ^ Huntington, Samuel P. (1997). The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Penguin. p. 108.
- ^ Velayutham, Selvaraj (2007). Responding to Globalization Nation, Culture, and Identity in Singapore. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 74.
- ^ Okakura K The Ideals of the East, Tuttle Publishing, North Clarenton 1904, 2002.
- ISBN 0275976882, 9780275976880.
- ^ Milner A. "What's Happened to Asian Values?" Faculty of Asian Studies, ANU, 1999.
- ^ Krugman P. "Latin America's Swan Song" An MIT web page article, unsourced and date not stated. Accessed 21 May 2014.
- ISBN 0-02-910975-2.
- ^ "Indonesia calls for countries to bear Asian values." People's Daily Online, an English language Chinese online news website. Accessed 21 May 2014.
- ^ "The Asian values debate and its relevance to international humanitarian law." Archived 6 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine ICRC.
- PMID 24812395.
- ISBN 978-0-316-01792-3.
- ISSN 0306-9192.
- ISBN 9781925022513.
- ^ "Ramos-Horta declares victory in East Timor presidential election". Reuters. 21 April 2022. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ISBN 1135796262, 9781135796266.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20110706211425/http://www.hmb.utoronto.ca/HMB303H/weekly_supp/week-02/Sen_Asian_Values.pdf Human Rights and Asian Values: What Lee Kuan Yew and Le Peng don't understand about Asia
- ^ Kim D. "Is Culture Destiny? The Myths of Asia's Anti-Democratic Values." Foreign Affairs, Florida, US, November 1994.
- ISBN 978-0-87641-049-3.
- .
- ISSN 1527-9367.
- ISBN 0-415-39738-3
- ^ Amartya, S (1999). "Democracy as a Universal Value". Journal of Democracy. 10 (3): 3–17.
- ISSN 1086-3214.
Sources
- Loh Kok Wah F. and Khoo B. T. "Democracy in Malaysia: Discourses and Practices" Curzon Press, Richmond Surrey, 2002.
- Subramaniam S. "The Asian Values Debate: Implications for the Spread of Liberal Democracy" Asian Affairs. March 2000.
- Ankerl G. "Coexisting Contemporary Civilizations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western" INUPRESS, Geneva, 2002 ISBN 978-2881550041