East Asia: Economic, Political, and Cultural Interpretations

Author: Compiler: Yao Shen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-12-01
Features: This book serves as a preliminary outcome of our regional studies focused on East Asian research. Building upon the discussions and perspectives presented earlier, it aims to employ a multidisciplinary approach to examine and interpret East Asian issues from different levels. The book is broadly divided into three parts.
Part 1—"East Asia from Multidimensional Perspectives"
In this part, the authors of the book discuss various topics, including reflections on the evolution of the East Asian landscape after World War I and World War II, the shifting relationship between the United States and East Asia at the turn of the 20th century, the cultural effects of East Asia's economic rise, economic cooperation and development in Northeast Asia, the commonalities and characteristics of East Asian religions, and the issue of "comfort women" left over from World War II in the context of East Asian peace. These discussions are conducted from political, economic, cultural, and religious perspectives. As East Asia is a subject of shared interest and research across various disciplines, its history, reality, and future should be presented and elaborated from multidisciplinary and multi-angle viewpoints. Just as the examination of significant changes in the U.S.-East Asia relationship in this part, interpreted from economic, political, and cultural dimensions, is more persuasive than a single-dimensional approach, East Asian issues, when viewed through this multidimensional lens, may reveal richer.
Part 2—"East Asian Nations: Several Aspects of Study"
In this part, scholars focus on specific countries—Japan; the former Soviet Union; and Singapore—examining particular aspects of their histories during specific stages of the 20th century in East Asia. The studies cover challenges faced by Japan's economy at the turn of the century, the resurgence of Japan's militaristic remnants in recent years, the realization of industrialization in the former Soviet Union during the 1930s and the socio-economic reasons behind its primitive accumulation and state violence, as well as Singapore's modernization during the 1960s and 1970s and the cultural identity and strategies of its national leaders. Through these case studies of specific stages, readers may gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of East Asian national development.
It should be noted that the "East Asia" referred to in this book is not a mere geographical concept. One of the authors, Dr. Ren Xiao, has interpreted East Asia as "including Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula, as well as the Southeast Asian countries typically referred to as such." In this sense, we have included Singapore, located in Southeast Asia, in our scope of study. Singapore is significant for two other important reasons: its exemplary status as one of Asia's "Four Dragons" and its profound Chinese cultural background.
As a major power spanning Europe and Asia, Russia (the former Soviet Union) exerts considerable influence in East Asia. Although its strategic and economic focus largely lies in Europe, its abundant resources in the eastern part of Asia and unique geopolitical position have allowed the former Soviet Union and present-day Russia to seek a role in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, truly becoming a "major power in Asia." This is one of the key reasons why we consider the former Soviet Union (Russia) as an East Asian nation in our study.
Incidentally, the "East Asia" we refer to also includes what is commonly known as Northeast Asia.
Part 3—"