Search results

For the past three decades, student movements in most countries in the world have been beaten back, but there are signs that some may be returning. In response to the Arab Spring, students participated fully in Tahrir Square and beyond. The student elections in Egypt that followed, however, seem to have been divided according to the various links that each student group had with the political groups contending for state power, like the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists on the one side, against secular and revolutionary groups on the other. It is not certain if the student elections really reflected the overall mood of the country or whether they were simply shaped by political protagonists outside the campuses. (J Southeast Asian Stud/GIGA)

'The Chinese in Vancouver, 1945-80: The Pursuit of Identity and Power' by Wing Chung Ng is reviewed.

'Beyond the Neon Lights: Everyday Shanghai in the Early Twentieth Century' by Hanchao Lu is reviewed.

Is culture a useful idea in the study of power politics in international affairs? By focusing on the dynamics of politics and economics, it has been possible to construct elaborate theories about how nations behave towards one another without reference to culture. It is easily forgotten that underlying those theories has been a state system culture that emerged after the Treaty of Westphalia. That state system is most effective when all nations accept the political culture of Western Europe that sustains it. What is being tested today is whether this system is now universal and beyond cultural differences. The Islamic world and certain powers in East and Southeast Asia acknowledge its operational usefulness, but are doubtful about the cultural baggage is carries. This essay examines China's search for allies and friends in this context. (AJPS/DÜI)

In recent years, there has been growing international interest in investment in China by persons of Chinese descent, especially those from Southeast Asia. However, many reports have been either exaggerated or distorted. The article suggests that the role of the Southeast Asian Chinese in China's development should be seen in a historical and global perspective. It maintains that the two historical models of ethnic Chinese involvement in China - the Sincere/Wing On model which was profit-oriented but was a prelude to the eventual return of the company to China, and the Tan Kah Kee model which was a form of patriotism - can no longer be applied to the present. China as a profitable place in which the Chinese abroad are attracted to invest is unique in history. Nevertheless, the present investment in China by Southeast Asian Chinese must not be exaggerated, and must be placed in the perspective of world-wide interest in China's rapid economic development. The article argues that many Chinese are Southeast Asians and the bulk of their investments is still in the region. The article eventually offers a few scenarios on ethnic Chinese investment in mainland China, arguing that the profit factor tends to guide the behaviour of ethnic Chinese businessmen. (AJPS/DÜI)

After a look at Greater China from economic, political and cultural perspective, the author explores the impact the concept of Greater China has on the Chinese overseas. He points out that China's historical record has left most Chinese overseas cautious about close direct involvement with its internal affairs.(DÜI-Sen)

In July and August 1983, the author travelled through four provinces. From dicussions with officials concerned with overseas Chinese and with scholars at universities, he found an enormous interest in overseas Chinese. Drawing upon official statements and published essays and commentaries, as well as discussions with fellow academics and local specialists, the author outlines the reasons for the renewed interest in overseas Chinese in the PRC. (DÜI-Sen)