History 9174

By AIU Topic 1: SOUTHEAST ASIA Was the use of culture in nation building more divisive or unifying in independent SEA states? Stand The use of culture in the region met varied outcomes but overall, it can be argued that this strategy was more unifying than divisive. Various cultural policies related to national culture, language and religion were employed and in most cases, an accommodating and multicultural approach was adopted. Para 1 The creation of a national culture can aid in nation-building, but the values propagated would determine whether the national culture espoused was divisive or unifying. burma - burmanization to assimilate minorities into burman culture, schools had burman practices like buddhism, assimilative approach caused unrest from minorities thailand - thai national culture and identity was overtly thai, clear emphasis on buddhism, marginalised minorities such as malay muslims in the pattani region. rise of separatist movements such as the pattani united liberation organisation - assimilative In contrast, indonesia - pancasila national ideology. belief in divine entity but not specifying any religion to reduce animosity between religious groups. values such as social justice were also relevant and suggested the pursuit of equity. Malaysia - adoption of rukunegara in 1970 to heal the divide from the 1969 KL riots. Malaysian national ideology advocated national values such as belief in god, rule of law and good behaviour and morality regardless of ethnicity. - can be unifying if it is largely accommodative Para 2 Another critical aspect of culture is language and contrasting outcomes of Burma and Malaysia highlight how it can be both divisive and unifying, depending on whether the government accords respect to minority cultures.

burma - priority given to teaching of burmese language, sidelining vernacular languages. in order to erode western culture, use of english was banned, further infuriating minorities, Karens established separate school system to preserve their culture malaysia - selection of malay as national language was well-reasoned and hence accepted by minorities, complemented by protection of vernaculars, accomodating the needs of minorities, making them more likely to attend the national school system thus inculcating national values and ideals. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, governments select a neutral working language, or even a minority language as the