Discourses on Asianisation (Paperback)

Asianisation of Asia, the focus of this book, signifies the synchronous development of Asian regionalism and regionalisation, in the wake of the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98. The author probes the interactive processes of Asianisation from political, economic, historical and social perspectives to reveal how an 'East Asian' identity has been constituted and consolidated at the expense of its 'Asian-Pacific' counterpart. The chief objective of this book is to explore the tension between the political and economic forces of globalisation on the one hand, and the resurgence of regional consciousness, or Asianisation, on the other. Asianisation simultaneously challenges and follows the tide of globalisation. Although Asianisation endorses resentment towards the West, it does not reject globalisation as such. It attempts to ameliorate the negative effects of the global economy. 'Asianisation or Globalisation' is therefore a false opposition. The discourses of Asianisation articulate 'Asianisation versus Globalisation', while at the same time it propagates 'Asianisation via Globalisation'.