Editors-in-Chief Weiqi Zhang Kevin Zhou Managing Editors Joa Alexander Mina Chang Business Manager Kevin Lin MARKETING DIRECTOR Elizabeth Mrema Editorial Staff Andrew Badger Stefan Gruber Angela Kwan Alfredo Molo DESIGN Editor Cindy Wang PUBLISHER Samuel H. Lipoff EDITORs-in-chief emeritus Wendy Ying Ting Zhang Board of Advisors Carter J. Eckert William C. Kirby Roderick MacFarquhar Elizabeth J. Perry Ezra F. Vogel The Harvard Asia Pacific Review is the publication of an official Harvard College student-run organization. Volume 11, Number 1 Copyright © 2010. ISSN 1522-1113. No material appearing in this publication may be reproduced without permission of the editors. The opinions expressed in this journal are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors. Special thanks to the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University for its continued support. This issue was funded in part by grants from the Harvard University the Asia Center and Undergraduate Council. Subscription price: US$20 per volume (two issues). For subscriptions outside the US, add US$20 per issue.
From the Editors In the past decade, a spotlight has been shined on nationalism in Asia. Nationalism has provoked much study because of its impact on bilateral ties, economic relationships, and cultural identity. In the case of China, for example, scholars have argued that nationalism can serve as a legitimizing and destabilizing force in the region. On the one hand, events such as the 2008 Summer Olympics served to reify the country’s national solidarity. On the other hand, nationalism has resulted in greater tensions between China and Japan. This issue of the Harvard Asia Pacific Review seeks to explore the multifaceted dynamics of nationalism in the greater context of the Asia Pacific region. While we explore the rising nationalist sentiment in East Asia’s major players, we also examine how national identity has impacted the politics and international relations of countries such as Thailand, Australia, and India. An inquiry into nationalism in the Asia Pacific region yields a series of interesting questions that this issue seeks to address. How has nationalism evolved in recent decades? What are the similarities and differences across countries? Have governments utilized it strategically for political purposes? What are the long-term prospects for nationalist movements in these countries? In this issue, we attempt to answer these questions through the contributions of scholars who come from a range of disciplines, including history, political science, and sociology. We begin our analysis with an overview that seeks to contextualize nationalism in East Asia, and proceed to magnify its complex nature in China. We then gauge the evolution of movements in countries such as Australia and Thailand, enabling us to draw comparisons between the nationalism of the present and the nationalism of the past. Turning away from nationalism, our Sub-Feature will focus on the triumphs and challenges facing Indonesia. We will examine the importance of the strategic bilateral relationship between Australia and Indonesia and will explore the difficulties that Indonesia has experienced in its transition to democracy. With recent controversies surrounding the Uighurs in Xinjiang, the rightists in Japan, and separatist movements in Southeast Asia, nationalism is becoming an increasingly important issue for the prospects of stability in the Asia Pacific region. It is our hope that these articles will provide our readers with a critical understanding of the political, cultural, and economic ramifications of these nationalist movements.
Advertising: Please e-mail hapr@hcs.harvard.edu Indexed in http://www.asia-studies.com Printed in the USA
2 Harvard Asia Pacific Review | Spring 2010