2006-Asian Academic

Author: Feng Jun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: We may be far more familiar with the North American continent across the Pacific and the European continent surrounded by the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean than with the continent we were born and raised in—Asia. Our young students are well-versed in the anecdotes of Harvard University and the blockbusters of Hollywood, and they enthusiastically discuss European football teams and pop bands. However, they know little about the history, culture, and living conditions of neighboring countries like Nepal, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia, which are just a stone's throw away. We may speak fluent English and feel at home in Wall Street and Broadway, yet we are completely illiterate when walking on the streets of Mongolia or Vietnam. When communicating with Europeans and Americans, we feel as if we have known them for years, as if we are in sync and can connect instantly. But when we encounter Indonesians or Sri Lankans, we are utterly lost, as if they are aliens from another world, unable to understand their thoughts. Centuries of Western colonial rule and political division have made neighboring Asian countries, geographically close to each other, strangers and unfriendly. The hegemony of the so-called mainstream culture, created by Western-centricism, has led us to pursue knowledge and culture far from our own doorstep. When Europeans shop freely in various countries holding euros, and North Americans trade freely in free trade zones, Asians realize that there are barriers and obstacles blocking their path forward.