Bücher der Reihe Routledge Contemporary Asia Series

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.

The notion of a `politics of religion¿ refers to the increasing role that religion plays in the politics of the contemporary world. This book presents comparative country case studies on the politics of religion in South and South Asia, including India, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Over the past fifteen years Northeast Asia has witnessed growing intraregional exchanges and interactions, especially in the realms of culture and economy. Still, the region cannot escape from the burden of history. This book examines the formation of historical memory in four Northeast Asian societies (China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan) and the United States focusing on the period from the beginning of the Sino-Japanese war in 1931 until the formal conclusion of the Pacific War with the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951. The contributors analyse the recent efforts of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese scholars to write a 'common history' of Northeast Asia and question the underlying motivations for their efforts and subsequent achievements. In doing so, they contend that the greatest obstacle to reconciliation in Northeast Asia lies in the existence of divided, and often conflicting, historical memories. The book argues that a more fruitful approach lies in understanding how historical memory has evolved in each country and been incorporated into respective master narratives. Through uncovering the existence of different master narratives, it is hoped, citizens will develop a more self-critical, self-reflective approach to their own history and that such an introspective effort has the potential to lay the foundation for greater self- and mutual understanding and eventual historical reconciliation in the region. This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of Asian history, Asian education and international relations in East Asia.

Investigates the politics of identity in Asia and explores how different groups of people inside and outside Asia have attempted to relate to the alterity of the places and cultures in the region through various modes (literary and filmic representation, scholarly knowledge). This book is of interest to anyone interested in critical Asian studies.

Explores how migration plays a central role in the renewing and reworking of urban spaces in the cities of Asia. This book reflects on the impact and significance of migration with a focus on the contested spaces that emerge in urban contexts and the economic, social, religious and cultural domains with which they intersect.

Examines where Eurocentrism has come from, how is it reflected in the study of media and communication, what the barriers and solutions to de-centralizing the production of theories are, and what is called for in order to establish Asian communication theories.

Soft power has tended to be overlooked in the field of international relations, often dismissed as lacking relevance or robustness as a theoretical concept. This book expands upon the idea of 'soft power' in international relations and investigates how it functions by looking at case studies in Japan-China relations during the post-war period.

Examines interethic relationships between groups and the dynamics of exchange networks throughout Asia and includes case studies based in Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Nepal, China, Indonesia, and Russia.

Gives a critical assessment of the ASEM process, which brings together 27 EU members, the European Commission and 16 East Asian states, and examines its progress in terms of economic and social development, politics and culture.

Analyses collaboration in the Greater Mekong Subregion, which is a manifestation of the so-called 'new regionalism' in growth triangles (GTs) in Northeast and Southeast Asia. This title explores inter-state cooperation and the role of subnational units and transnational actors (NGOs, firms) in building and maintaining the subregion.

Bringing together perspectives from Economics, Development and Area Studies, Geography, Anthropology, and Sociology, the book provides local narratives that shed light on some of the different needs, situations, and realities of minority region development among countries in East and Southeast Asia.

Analyzes contemporary political and economic relations in foreign aid policy between Japan and Africa. This book offers primary questions focusing on Japan's influence in the African continent, reasons for spending its limited resources to further African development, and the way Japan's foreign aid is invested in Africa.

Explains the changing pattern of contentious politics in the democratization process of the two city-states Singapore and Hong Kong. This book explores the causal connections between popular contention and democratization by applying a multi-disciplinary approach, using theoretical insights from the political sciences, sociology and psychology.

This book analyses the role tourism plays for sustainable development in Southeast Asia.

What have we learned from the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis? Do Thailand's problems suggest that other countries have not learned the appropriate lessons, nor implemented sufficiently corrective measures? This book provides an overview of developments in the main affected countries during the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Deals with the role of Taiwan's leadership politics in the development of Taiwan's mainland policy and the consequences for US-Taiwan relations.

Applying theories to concrete phenomena, this title provides a comprehensive understanding of inter-regionalism and how co-operation between Asia and Europe should be fashioned. It is intended for graduates and researchers in the fields of international relations, international economics, regional integration, and interregionalism.

Explores how and why civic spaces are used by different communities in Asia and what role urban governance and public participation play in the support or demise of communities. This book provides insights into the importance and value of civic space. It is suitable for those interested in urban planning, urban design, as well as Asian studies.

Provides an ethno-historical study of the trade system in Ladakh (India), a busy entrepot for Silk Route trade between Central and South Asia. This work details the social lives of historical Ladakhi traders and identifying their community as a cosmopolitan social group.

This analysis of the evolving Sino-Russian relationship addresses global strategy, energy politics, national security, and Central Asian links. The book will provide a profile of current Sino-Russian relations as well as in-depth treatment of their background and global ramifications.

The purpose of this volume is to highlight the impacts on civic engagement of social capital, and its various component parts (trust, norms, networks and associations), in diverse parts of Asia. Addressing the pressing need for improved governance within the spatial, political and cultural realities in the rapidly transforming landscapes of Asia the contributors to the book bring together interdisciplinary work that focuses on the ways in which civic engagement can link with social capital building efforts, particularly in terms of enhancing the interaction between state and community efforts, to create vibrant societies.

This book tackles the important issue of what happened to Asia's political systems after the fall of various political strongmen. It is generally assumed that once strongmen who dictate a nations' politics with a dictatorial or authoritarian fashion fall, the political landscape then drastically changes and the prospects for democracy comes in a matter of time. As the contributors of this book show, the stories were not so simple and straightforward in the contexts of Northeast and Southeast Asia. Democratic governance is only one of the three possible and feasible outcomes, the other two outcomes are either a weakening/ unstable political leadership or a sustained authoritarian system.

Covering the diversity of climate change governance in Asia, this book presents cosmopolitan governance from the perspective of urban and rural communities, local and central governments, state-society relations and international relations.

An intervention in one of the most fundamental debates confronting the social science and humanities, namely how to understand global and local historical processes as interconnected developments affecting human actors.

This thought-provoking book defines land grabbing, and examines aspects of the land grabs phenomenon in seven Asian countries. It provides unique perspectives on how and why land grabbing is practised in China, India, Pakistan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia, and explores the surprising role that law plays in facilitating and legitimizing land grabs in each country. Finding that Asian States need to move beyond existing regimes that govern land to a regime that encourages more equitable land rights allocation and protection of stakeholders¿ rights, the book urges further research in the nexus between the use of law to facilitate development.This book was facilitated by grant No. R-241-000-116-112 (Ministry of Education, Singapore, and NUS Academic Research Fund).