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Efforts to contend with tensions inherent in multiethnic societies; case studies of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
List of contents
Part 1 South Asia: Diversity, democracy, and devolution in India, Kanti Bajpai; Centralization, authoritarianism, and the mismanagement of ethnic relations in Pakistan, Samina Ahmed; Government policy and the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka, Amita Shastri. Part 2 Southeast and east Asia: Fifty years of failure in Burma, Josef Silverstein; Cultural diversity and national identity in Thailand; Ethnic policies and political quiescence in Malaysia and Singapore, Sumit Ganguly; Coercion, co-optation, and the management of ethnic relations in Indonesia, R. William Liddle; Ethnicity and public policy in the Philippines, R.J. May; Assimilation and accommodation in China, June Teufel Dreyer. Part 3 Australia and the Asia-Pacific region: Federalism and indigenous peoples in Australia, Christine Fletcher; Civil rights, amelioration, and reparation in New Zealand, Andrew Sharp; Culture and conflict in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and the Federal States of Micronesia, Stephen Levine. Part 4 Conclusions: The impact of government policies on ethnic relations, Michael E. Brown.
About the author
Michael E. Brown is Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Sumit Ganguly is Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin.
Summary
Efforts to contend with tensions inherent in multiethnic societies; case studies of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia.Ethnic conflict, one of the most serious and widespread problems in the world today, can undermine efforts to promote political and economic development, as well as political, economic, and social justice. It can also lead to violence and open warfare, producing horrifying levels of death and destruction. Although government policies on ethnic issues often have profound effects on a country, the subject has been neglected by most scholars and analysts. This volume analyzes different policies governments have pursued in their efforts to contend with the tensions inherent in multiethnic societies. The book focuses on Asia and the Pacific, the most populous and economically vibrant part of the world. The heart of the book is a set of case studies of government policies in sixteen countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The studies consider a wide range of political, economic, educational, linguistic, and cultural policies, and how these policies have evolved over time. Using a broad comparative perspective to assess the effectiveness of different governmental approaches, the authors offer policy recommendations that cut across individual countries and regions.
Additional text
This is an outstanding work that opens up new perspectives for understanding ethnic conflict.—Foreign Affairs—
