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Communist Indochina (Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia)
By R. B. Smith. 2009
This book examines the history of communist Indochina, from the foundation of the Indochinese Communist Party in 1929-30 to the…
end of the 1970s. It explores the impact of the Japanese invasion of Indochina in 1940, and the subsequent relationship between the Japanese occupiers and the Vichy French colonial regime. It considers why, following the Japanese surrender, the cause of Vietnamese independence was championed by the Communist-led Viet Minh movement headed by Ho Chi Minh, culminating in the August Revolution and the Viet Minh seizure of power, and analyses the record of the Viet Minh Provisional Government of 1945-46. It goes on to consider key episodes of the Vietnam War which followed partition in 1954, including the Tet Offensive of 1967-68 - a crucial turning point in the course of the conflict - and the Cambodia Crisis of 1969-70. Throughout, it considers events within Indochina in the context of wider regional and international developments, focusing in particular on the role played by the Chinese, including their support to the Viet Minh in their struggle against the French from 1947, and the issue of Cambodia which eventually precipitated the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979. The book also explores the main trends in social, economic and institutional development which characterised this period, including village and clan networks, economic and monetary developments, the contrasting systems of North and South after partition, and the consequences of choosing a Soviet economic alignment in preference to links with Japan and capitalist Asia. Written by the late Ralph Smith, a highly respected historian of Asia, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the history of Indochina.The first war between China and Japan in 1894/95 was one of the most fateful events, not only in modern…
Japanese and Chinese history, but in international history as well. The war and subsequent events catapulted Japan on its trajectory toward temporary hegemony in East Asia, whereas China entered a long period of domestic unrest and foreign intervention. Repercussions of these developments can be still felt, especially in the mutual perceptions of Chinese and Japanese people today. However, despite considerable scholarship on Sino-Japanese relations, the perplexing question remains how the Japanese attitude exactly changed after the triumphant victory in 1895 over its former role model and competitor. This book examines the transformation of Japan’s attitude toward China up to the time of the Russo-Japanese War (1904/5), when the psychological framework within which future Chinese-Japanese relations worked reached its erstwhile completion. It shows the transformation process through a close reading of sources, a large number of which is introduced to the scholarly discussion for the first time. Zachmann demonstrates how modern Sino-Japanese attitudes were shaped by a multitude of factors, domestic and international, and, in turn, informed Japan’s course in international politics. Winner of the JaDe Prize 2010 awarded by the German Foundation for the Promotion of Japanese-German Culture and Science RelationsRe-writing Culture in Taiwan (Asia's Transformations #10)
By Paul-François Tremlett, Fang-Long Shih, Stuart Thompson. 2009
This inter-disciplinary volume of essays opens new points of departure for thinking about how Taiwan has been studied and represented…
in the past, for reflecting on the current state of ‘Taiwan Studies’, and for thinking about how Taiwan might be re-configured in the future. As the study of Taiwan shifts from being a provincial back-water of sinology to an area in its own (albeit not sovereign) right, a combination of established and up and coming scholars working in the field of East Asian studies offer a re-reading and re-writing of culture in Taiwan. They show that sustained critical analysis of contemporary Taiwan using issues such as trauma, memory, history, tradition, modernity, post-modernity provides a useful point of departure for thinking through similar problematics and issues elsewhere in the world. Re-writing Culture in Taiwan is a multidisciplinary book with its own distinctive collective voice which will appeal to anyone interested in Taiwan. With chapters on nationalism, anthropology, cultural studies, media studies, religion and museum studies, the breadth of ground covered is truly comprehensive.Heritage and Identity: Engagement and Demission in the Contemporary World (Museum Meanings)
By Marta Anico, Elsa Peralta. 2009
Heritage and Identity explores the complex ways in which heritage actively contributes to the construction and representation of identities in…
contemporary societies, providing a comprehensive account of the diverse conceptions of heritage and identity across different continents and cultures. This collection of thought-provoking articles from experts in the field captures the richness and diversity of the interlinked themes of heritage and identity. Heritage is more than a simple legacy from the past, and incorporates all elements, past and present, that have the ability to represent particular identities in the public sphere. The editors introduce and discuss a wide range of interconnected topics, including multiculturalism and globalization, local and regional identity, urban heritage, difficult memories, conceptions of history, ethnic representations, repatriation, ownership, controversy, contestation, and ethics and social responsibility. The volume places empirical data within a theoretical and analytical framework and presents an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the representation of the past, invaluable for anyone interested in heritage and museum studies.Customary Law in the Modern World: The Crossfire of Sudan's War of Identities
By Francis Deng. 2009
Customary Law in the Modern World is the study of a coherent and well-established legal system, which is now operating…
in the context of a modern nation-state and therefore poised between remaining relevant and the threat of marginalization. Focusing on Sudan, the author places customary law in its historical and cultural context, analyzing the fundamental and traditional values that underlie customary law and the impact of the war between the North and the South that lasted intermittently for half a century. He deals with the substance of customary law, covering a wide variety of areas: family law, property law, torts and criminal liability. Drawing on interviews conducted with judges, legislators and practicing lawyers on customary law and its future in the modern context, the book challenges the development of customary law to build on the positives of tradition and the reform of its shortcomings, particularly in the areas of human rights, gender equality and the protection of children. This book fills a gap in the literature on customary law, and will be of great interest to anyone interested in law, anthropology and politics.This book provides a thorough analysis of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), from a variety of perspectives including…
its factions, party presidential elections, the distribution of posts, national elections, local organisations, the policy making process and partner organisations. Drawing on comprehensive and up-to-date data, as well as a large number of interviews, internal party documents and quantitative data, The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan explains the machinery of the Japanese government and ruling party, exploring how policies are made. In so doing, the chapters also analyse the strengths and weaknesses of today’s LDP through a comparison of Koizumi Juni’ichirō and Abe Shinzō, both having established long-lasting administrations through their strong leadership. Demonstrating how the LDP has changed significantly over recent years, particularly since the political reforms of 1994, this book will be extremely useful to students and scholars of Japanese and Asian politics.Muslims in Singapore: Piety, politics and policies (Routledge Contemporary Southeast Asia Series #26)
By Bryan S. Turner, Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir, Alexius A. Pereira. 2009
This book examines Muslims in Singapore, analysing their habits, practices and dispositions towards everyday life, and also their role within…
the broader framework of the secularist Singapore state and the cultural dominance of its Chinese elite, who are predominantly Buddhist and Christian. Singapore has a highly unusual approach to issues of religious diversity and multiculturalism, adopting a policy of deliberately ‘managing religions’ - including Islam - in an attempt to achieve orderly and harmonious relations between different racial and religious groups. This has encompassed implicit and explicit policies of containment and ‘enclavement’ of Muslims, and also the more positive policy of ‘upgrading’ Muslims through paternalist strategies of education, training and improvement, including the modernisation of madrassah education in both content and orientation. This book examines how this system has operated in practice, and evaluates its successes and failures. In particular, it explores the attitudes and reactions of Muslims themselves across all spheres of everyday life, including dining and maintaining halal-vigilance; education and dress code; and practices of courtship, sex and marriage. It also considers the impact of wider international developments, including 9/11, fear of terrorism and the associated stigmatization of Muslims; and developments within Southeast Asia such as the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist attacks and the Islamization of Malaysia and Indonesia. This study has more general implications for political strategies and public policies in multicultural societies that are deeply divided along ethno-religious lines.Rise of China: Beijing’s Strategies and Implications for the Asia-Pacific (Politics in Asia)
By Cheng-Yi Lin, Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao. 2009
Despite the growing internal social unrest and disparity of economic development, the People’s Republic of China is the third largest…
world economy and the second largest defense spender. Showing no clear signs of slowing down, China’s rise is seen as both an opportunity and a challenge by the major world powers. This book examines every aspect of Beijing's strategies, ranging from political, economic and social challenges, to the Taiwan and Hong Kong issues, to the implications of these strategies in terms of China's place within the Asia Pacific, and indeed within the world system. Written by a stellar line-up of international contributors the book will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese politics, foreign policy, political economy and social policy, and China-watchers alike.This book is concerned with the role of financial intermediation in economic development and growth in the context of Malaysia.…
Using an analytical framework, the author investigates the Malaysian economy from 1960 onwards to examine how far financial development has progressed in the course of economic development, and whether it has been instrumental in promoting economic growth. A significant improvement in the Malaysian financial system, coupled with rapid economic growth and a rich history of financial sector reforms, makes Malaysia an interesting case study for this subject. The author shows that some government interventions seem to have impacted negatively on economic growth, whereas repressionist financial policies such as interest rate controls, high reserve requirements and directed credit programmes seem to have contributed positively to financial development. The analysis concludes that financial development leads to higher output growth via promoting private saving and private investment. Shedding light on the evolutionary role of financial system and the interacting mechanisms between financial development and economic growth, this book will be of interest to those interested in economic and financial development, financial liberalization, saving behaviour and investment analysis and Asian Studies.Management Training and Development in China: Educating Managers in a Globalized Economy (Routledge Contemporary China Series)
By Malcolm Warner, Keith Goodall. 2009
One of the critical issues facing both the Chinese government and businesses operating in China is the lack of trained…
managers. This book, with contributions by internationally-known scholars from a wide range of countries, examines the Chinese response to the challenges of management training and development. It considers the development of business schools in the PRC and the impact of foreign partnerships on their operation. It summarizes the current trends in management training and development and outlines the likely course of future developments. Overall, this book is a comprehensive account of management training and development in China, and is an important resource in an area that has hitherto seen little substantive research.A Discourse on Domination in Mandate Palestine: Imperialism, Property and Insurgency
By Zeina B. Ghandour. 2009
British discourse during the Mandate, with its unremitting convergence on the problematic ‘native question’, and which rested on racial and…
cultural theories and presumptions, as well as on certain givens drawn from the British class system, has been taken for granted by historians. The validity of cultural representations as pronounced within official correspondence and colonial laws and regulations, as well as within the private papers of colonial officials, survives more or less intact. There are features of colonialism additional to economic and political power, which are glaring yet have escaped examination, which carried cultural weight and had cultural implications and which negatively transformed native society. This was inevitable. But what is less inevitable is the subsequent collusion of historians in this, a (neo-) colonial dynamic. The continued collusion of modern historians with racial and cultural notions concerning the rationale of European rule in Palestine has postcolonial implications. It drags these old notions into the present where their iniquitous barbarity continues to manifest. This study identifies the symbolism of British officials’ discourse and intertwines it with the symbolism and imagery of the natives’ own discourse (from oral interviews and private family papers). At all times, it remains allied to those writers, philosophers and chroniclers whose central preoccupation is to agitate and challenge authority. This, then, is a return to the old school, a revisiting of the optimistic, vibrant rhetoric of those radicals who continue to inspire post and anti-colonial thinking. In order to dismantle, and to undo and unwrite, A Discourse on Domination in Mandate Palestine holds a mirror up to the language of the Mandatory by counteracting it with its own integrally oppositional discourse and a provocative rhetoric.This volume is the fruit of an international collaborative study, which considers the Åland islands settlement in northern Europe as…
a resolution model for the major Asia-Pacific regional conflicts that derived from the post-World War II disposition of Japan, with particular focus on the territorial dispute between Japan and Russia, the Northern Territories/Southern Kuriles problem. The contributors provide analysis of the Åland settlement, the Japan-Russia territorial dispute and Åland-inspired solution ideas by experts from all over the world, including government officials, scholars and military specialists. Northern Territories, Asia-Pacific Regional Conflicts and the Aland Experience will be of interest to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as academics working in Asian studies, politics, international relations, conflict resolution and security studies.Industrial competition with rising economies, new regional investment from the West, and trade pacts among competitors threaten Japan’s long postwar…
prominence. Global market dynamics and regional competition prompted the shift from offshore factories to local networks in the last decade. Similar forces are driving the recent formation of regional Nikkei - Japan-affiliated - nodes in major industrial clusters in Asia. The central concept of this volume, "knowledge networks," refers to interactive linkages around nodes of tacit and codified knowledge embedded in Global Value Chains. Through survey evidence and interviews at firms and factories this book reveals the problems facing knowledge transfer, such as persisting difficulties in communication, technology transfer, and indigenous learning in regional nodes of Nikkei Value Chains and the persistence of earlier patterns of hierarchical coordination in information flows despite the shift towards more horizontal network organization. However, a comparison of Nikkei knowledge networks in China, South Korea, and Thailand reveals the possibilities of an interactive learning community in cross-border investment. If Japan can meet the challenge of tapping Asia’s offshore resources for innovation, it will pose a formidable global challenge to Western competitors.Making Japanese Heritage (Japan Anthropology Workshop Series)
By Christoph Brumann. 2009
This book examines the making of heritage in contemporary Japan, investigating the ways in which particular objects, practices and institutions…
are ascribed public recognition and political significance. Through detailed ethnographic and historical case studies, it analyses the social, economic, and even global political dimensions of cultural heritage. It shows how claims to heritage status in Japan stress different material qualities of objects, places and people - based upon their ages, originality and usage. Following on an introduction that thoroughly assesses the field, the ethnographic and historiographic case studies range from geisha; noh masks; and the tea ceremony; urban architecture; automata; a utopian commune and the sites of Mitsubishi company history. They examine how their heritage value is made and re-made, and appraise the construction of heritage in cases where the heritage value resides in the very substance of the object’s material composition - for example, in architecture, landscapes and designs - and show how the heritage industry adds values to existing assets: such as sacredness, urban charm or architectural and ethnic distinctiveness. The book questions the interpretation of material heritage as an enduring expression of social relations, aesthetic values and authenticity which, once conferred, undergoes no subsequent change, and standard dismissals of heritage as merely a tool for enshrining the nation; supporting the powerful; fostering nostalgic escapism; or advancing capitalist exploitation. Finally, it considers the role of people as agents of heritage production, and analyses the complexity of the relationships between people and objects. This book is a rigorous assessment of how conceptions of Japanese heritage have been forged, and provides a wealth of evidence that questions established assumptions on the nature and social roles of heritage.This book examines the transition within the Japanese party system that has seen the demise of ‘the old socialists’, the…
Japan Socialist Party, and in its place, the emergence of the Democratic Party of Japan as the leading opposition party. Sarah Hyde has produced an original book which looks at the intra-left (non-communist) opposition party manoeuvrings during the 1990s through to the new millennium in a highly detailed and focused manner whilst simultaneously looking at the three most significant changes for the left nationally: the change to the electoral system, the change to public opinion regarding defense and the Constitution after the First Gulf War and the changes to the Labour Union movement. Ending with a chapter on the incredibly important 2007 Upper House election, which brings the development of the opposition full circle, this book will be a valuable source for students and scholars of Japanese politics, electoral systems and opposition politics.Lessons from the Asian Financial Crisis (Routledge Contemporary Asia Series)
By Richard Carney. 2009
Nearly ten years after the Asian Financial Crisis, financial turmoil has reappeared – this time it is ravaging the world's…
wealthiest countries and dragging the global economy along for the ride. It forces one to reflect on the last major financial crisis to afflict the global economy, and to consider whether there are any similarities, and whether there are any lessons from that crisis that we can apply to the current one. Written by a distinguished group of individuals from government, the private sector, international organizations, and academia, this book provides an overview of developments in the main affected countries during the Asian Financial Crisis, as well as the lessons learned and corrective measures taken at the country, regional, and international levels. Importantly, attention is also paid to the areas where substantial improvements are needed. The current crisis heightens the relevance of these lessons. Lessons from the Asian Financial Crisis will be invaluable to those studying international relations, international finance, international economics and East Asian studies.The book deals with the dynamics and growth of a violent 21st century communist rebellion initiated in Nepal by the…
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) – CPN(M). It contextualizes and explains why and how a violent Maoist insurgency grew in Nepal after the end of the Cold War, in contrast to the decline of other radical communist movements in most parts of the world. Scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds employ a wide variety of approaches and methods to unravel different aspects of the rebellion. Individual chapters analyze the different causes of the insurgency, factors that contributed to its growth, the organization, agency, ideology and strategies employed by the rebels and the state, and the consequences of the insurgency. New issues are analysed in conjunction with the insurgency, such as the role of the Maoist student organization, Maoist's cultural troupes, the organization and strategies of the People's Army and the Royal Nepal Army, indoctrination and recruitment of rebels, and international factors. Based on original field work and a thorough analysis of empirical data, this book fills an existing gap in academic analyses of the insurgency in Nepal.Socialist China, Capitalist China: Social tension and political adaptation under economic globalization (China Policy Series)
By Guoguang Wu, Helen Lansdowne. 2009
China is currently encountering increasing social problems, together with the rise of mass discontent and public protest, despite having achieved…
enormous economic growth after nearly thirty years of market socialism and embracing globalization. The future of China thus depends not only on the economic progress the nation has achieved - and will achieve - but also on how the government addresses growing social tensions. Focusing on why social tensions have arisen despite economic prosperity and how the state is responding, this book presents rich, original data about many of the social challenges facing China, including rural-urban migration, unemployment, the health care crisis, the rise of religion, the desire for increased individualism, and new mass movements. It investigates governmental responses to deal with the problems including legal and political reforms and local governance innovations, throughout setting the discussion in the context of how far a traditionally ‘socialist’ nation can be integrated into global capitalism. Overall, the book provides a timely, up-to-date, and down-to-earth examination of and reflection on China’s continuing socio-economic and political transition.This book examines the emergence of Communist power in China during the interwar period, focusing especially on the role of…
the Soviet Union and the 1927 Nanchang Uprising. It describes the history behind the alliance between the Chinese Communists and Nationalists, the impact of the USSR's military and political advisers, and the success of the Northern Expedition that resulted in the April 1927 purge of the Communists from the Nationalist Party. It explores the debates between leading communists in Moscow, notably Stalin – who thought that China was ready in 1927 for an urban-based Communist revolution, similar to what had happened in Russia ten years before – and Trotsky who opposed it. It goes on examine the seizure of power in Nanchang by the Communists, the establishment of China's first short-lived soviet republic, and the reasons why the soviet soon collapsed. It explains the consequences of the rising, including the adoption by the Communists of guerilla warfare, the foundation of China's second soviet, and after moving to northwest China during the 1930s, the rise of Communist power throughout all of mainland China which culminated in the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The book stresses the importance of the mythology that evolved around the Nanchang Uprising: since criticism of the Nanchang Uprising would open themselves up to accusations that they were Trotskyites, the Chinese Communists created the myth that the Nanchang Uprising was a success, and later dated the origins of the People’s Liberation Army to this event.The Politics of Heritage Tourism in China: A View from Lijiang (Routledge Contemporary China Series)
By Xiaobo Su, Peggy Teo. 2009
This volume unravels the politics surrounding behind China’s hegemonic project of heritage tourism development in Lijiang. It provides a compelling…
study of the dialectical relationships between global and domestic capital, the state, tourists and locals as they collude, collaborate and contest one another to ready Lijiang for tourist consumption. Using rich material from insightful interviews and quantitative data, the authors show how complex tourism development can be even as it strives to do good for the community. Su and Teo investigate the practices of contestation and negotiation of identity within Lijiang; analyze the negotiations that transform material and vernacular landscapes; and suggests strategies that will enable sustained tourism interest in this location. Linking Gramsci’s theory on hegemony to the cultural politics of space, this book has two major strengths: it establishes a theoretical framework to conceptualize power relations in tourism space and provides critical insights into the rapidly shifting socio-political landscape of contemporary China. Comparisons with other Chinese heritage sites are also provided. By addressing the power struggles inevitable in the process of tourism development, The Politics of Heritage Tourism in China provides an innovative understanding of China’s dynamic politics in a period of transition. As such, it will address the needs of students and academic scholars working in the fields of China studies, tourism, cultural studies, urban studies, sociology, geography, political science and heritage studies.