Area Studies and Human Future A Southeas PDF

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I nternational Conference 2015
Assam Don Bosco UniversitY, lndia
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Hubei University, China
ASIAN VALUES AND HUMAN FUTURE
Edited by
Dr. Joy Thomas SVD

Dr. LiJialian
CONTENTS
Foreword
lntroduction
Key Note Address
1_.Asian Spiritual Traditions: Birthing a Trans-Cultural Spirituality

- Aloysius Britto 25
2. Does Wisdom Of Eastern And Western Cultures Respond To The Question:
What ls Human Dignity?
- Hortensio Cudllar 43
3. Civilization in the Context of Lamaism of the Eastern Himalayan Region
- A. C. Sinha 61
4. Area Studies and Human Future: A Southeast Asian Perspective
- Ahmod Fauzi Abdul Homid 77
5. The "Hope" of Traditions for Human Future
- L. Anthony Sovori Raj 90
6. Relevance of University Outreach Programmes for Regional Development
and Asian Values
- B.P.R. Norasimhorao 100
7. Deep Ecology and Confucianism
- Liu Jingjing 116
8. The Role of Asia in the Quest for Global Justice: An Existential Reflection
- Edward J. Alam 124
9. Rethinking Asian Values and Human Future: Challenges of Planetary
Realizations
- Anonto Kumar Giri 131
10. Swami Vivekananda on making World a better Place to Live-in for all
- Neeroj Join L47
1,1. Celebrating Gandhi's Praxis; A Synthesis of his Life and Message
- Rudolf C. Heredio 164
12. Strident Nationalism and ldentity Construction
- Ram Puniyoni 184
13. Building Asian Values by Transcending Western Ones
- Jiang Chang 189
14. The Development of China's Legal Culture in the Perspective of lnternational
Rule of Law
- Lijie Zeng 196
15. Sustainable Development via the Family
- Corozon Torolbo 20s
16. Family: An Existential Need forthe Human Being, atthe lndividualand
Communal Levels
- Cormen Ramos 216
17. Resistance Strategies under Cultural lmperialism: A Study on Jameson's
Cultural Globalization Theory
- Zhang lio 226
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AREA STUDIES AND HUMAN FUTURE:

A SOUTHEAST ASIAN PERSPECTIVE
- Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamidl
lntroduction
As an academic discipline, area studies emerged in Western universities,
especially in the United States of America (USA), after the Second World War.
The distinctiveness of area studies stems from its multi-disciplinary background
and trans-disciplinary approaches it advocates. Disciplines which are generally
subsumed as sub-disciplines under the corpus of area studies are mostly from
the social sciences such as political science, anthropology, sociology, economics,
social work and development studies, and from the humanities or human
sciences, for example history, linguistics, literature, geography, religious studies
and cultural studies. However, in order to embark on a comprehensive research
on a particular area, whether a country, a region or even a continent, scientists
and technologists have also been included as part of international research
teams. For instance, biologists are needed to investigate the flora and fauna of a
selected research area, while information technology experts are recruited by
chief researchers to study the rate of internet penetration of an area and to
process a multitude of scattered trans-disciplinary data.2
1. Area Studies as a Contemporary Academic Discipline for a Southeast Asian

socialscientist
Although area studies are multi-disciplinary in orientation, it is of critical
relevance to social scientists and especially political scientists, of which the
present author is one. ln fact it may not be an exaggeration to say that a great
number of area studies champions have been political scientists. This is
unsurprising when we consider that the genesis of area studies in the USA is
founded on its policy makers' concern to foreground USA's role as the most
influential post-Second World War military and economic power. The
postbellum years of the mid-1940s till the 1960s were characterised by massive
1Prof. Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, a graduate of the universities of Oxford, Leeds and Newcastle,
UK, is a Professor of Political Science at the School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains
Malaysia (USM), Penang, Malaysia, and Visiting Senior Fellow at the lnstitute of Southeast Asian
Studies (ISEAS) -Yusof lshak lnstitute, Singapore (1 September 2015-31. May 2016). Political
Science Section, School of Distance Education Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang,
MALAYSIA; Tel: +6-04-6533888; Email: afauzi@usm.mv, ahmad fauzi@iseas.edu.sg
2 For further discussion on the necessity of incorporating information technology in trans-
disciplinary research as a whole and especially for area studies, see Kuijper (2008).
I
AREA STUDIES AND HUMAN FUTURE
decolonisation of forrner European colonies in Asia and Africa, followed by the

abrupt decline of irnperial powers such as Great Britain, France, Germany, ltaly
and the Netherlands. The USA's rise as the post-war hegemonic power was
rivalled by the emergence of the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc, hence
forming a bipolar geo-political system divided into three clusters, viz. newly
independent countries that gravitated towards the West or the First World,
those that sided with the Eastern Bloc or the Second World, and new nation
states which maintained a neutral stance and collectively made up the Non-
Aligned Movement (NAM). In the scramble to patronise these new nation
states, the sub-discipline of international studies was founded. Due to its
controversial origins, reputedly marred by strategic geo-political motives, area
studies was criticised as a vehicle for the USA to realise its neo-colonial agenda
(Cumings 1.997). Some of the allegations against area studies came even frorr
experts known to be area studies specialists. A small number of scholars
nevertheless defended area studies on the basis of its great scholarly value
surpassing the worries associated with the USA's geo-strategic interests
(Moseley 2009).
During its peak, area studies received generous funding from benefactors such
as the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Carnegie
Endowment for lnternational Peace. ln 1950, for instance, the Ford Foundatior
launched its Foreign Area Fellowship Program (FAFP) whose network reachec
over thirty prestigious universities all over the USA. lts management was
subsequently taken over by the social science Research council (ssRC) and the
American council of Learned societies (szanton 2004). ln order to develoc
research excellence based on focused expertise, Arnerican universities engage:
in area studies specialised in different parts of the world. southeast Asia, fc-
instance, became the niche area of Cornell University, lthaca, New york, via it.
cornell southeast Asia Prograrn.3 Beyond the usA, among respected institutior..
which engaged in area studies are the School of Oriental and African Studie.
(SOAS), University of London;4 St. Antony's College and the School :.
lnterdisciplinary Area Studies (SISA), University of Oxford,s and the Germa-
3 http://seap.einaudi.cornell.edu/ (accessed 11 september 2015). Among renowned Malays:-

social scientists who gained doctoral qualifications from Cornell are Sharifah Zaleha Syed Hass;-
former Professor of Anthropology at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, and Fra-: -
Loh Kok Wah, former Profesor of Political Science at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Pena-;
Francis Loh is also presently President of the human rights non-governmental organisation A -.-
Kesedarsn Negaro (ALIRAN: National Consciousness Movement).
4 http://www.soas.ac.uk/ (accessed i.1 September 2015).
5 http://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/; http://www.area-studies.ox.ac.ukl (accessed
LL September 2015 )
78 | lnternational Conference 2015

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lnstitute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Hamburg, Germany.6 ln Asia,

renowned area studies institutions include the Tokyo University of Foreign
Studies (TUFS), Japan,T Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), China,B and
the School of lnternational Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, lndia.9
Within Southeast Asia, Singapore has been at the forefront of promoting

Southeast Asian studies through its officially funded lnstitute of Southeast Asian
Studies (lSfR51ro which maintains close links with the Cornell Southeast Asia
Programme, and the Southeast Asian Studies programme, National University of
Singapore (tttUS).rr NUS even boasts an active Malay Studies Department,12
with its Malaysian counterparts being the Malay studies Academy, Universiti
Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur, and the lnstitute of Malay World and Civilisation
(ATMA: lnstitut Alam don Tomadun Meloyu), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
(UKM), Bangi.13 ln addition, NUS hosts two area studies-based research centres,
viz. the Asia Research lnstitute (nnt1t+ and the Middle East lnstitute (MEt).1s
Also actively conducting research on Southeast Asia, although perhaps with a
more political-cum-security slant, is the S. Rajaratnam School of lnternational
Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.16 Other
institutions which offer a modestly reputable southeast Asian studies
programme include Gadjah Mada University and University of lndonesia in
lndonesia, Ateneo de Manila University and University of Philippines Diliman in
the Philippines, and in Thailand, Chulalongkorn University, Thammasat
University, walailak University and Mahidol University lnternational college.
6 http://www.gisa-hamburs.delen (accessed
11 September 20i^5).
7 http://www.tufs.ac.iplenslish/ (accessed
11 September 2015).
8 http://en.bfsu.edu.cnl (accessed
11 September 2015).
t http://www.inu.ac.inlsis/ (accessed 11 September 2015).
10 http://www.iseas.edu.ssl (accessed
9 september 2015). on 12 August 201_s, tsEAS was renamed
the ISEAS-Yusof lshak lnstitute by the Singaporean government. The present author is a Visiting
senior Fellow with IsEAS's Malaysia Studies Programme (1 september 2015 - 31 May 2016).
11 http://www.fas.nus.edu.ss/sea/ (accessed
11 September 2015).
12 http://www.fas.nus.edu.sslmalav/ (accessed
11 September 2015).
13 http://apm.um.edu.mv/, http://www.ukm.my/atma/ (accessed
9 September 2015).
14 http://www.ari.nus.edu.sglarticle
view.asp?id=1 (accessed 20 March 2OL4l.
15 http://mei.nus.edu.sgl (accessed
lL
September 2015).
16 http://www.rsis.edu.sel (accessed
11 september 2015). The present author was a visiting fellow
at RSIS from 4 September 2008 until 31 January 2009, during which materials were prepared and
collected for the writing of a research monograph entitled lslomic Educotion in Maloysio; see
Ahmad Fauzi (2010).
lnternational Conference 2015 | 79

ln the Malaysian context, UM has built a reputation in area studies research and
teaching through its Southeast Asian Studies programme.lT UKM can also be
proud of its centres of excellence such as the lnstitute of Malaysian and
international Studies (lfUn5;ta and the lnstitute of Occidental Studies (IKON)
which offers expertise in such diverse areas as American Studies, Latin American
Studies, European Studies and Oceania Studies.19 Universiti Sains Malaysia
(USM) in Penang tried to offer a Masters programme in Asian Studies beginning
from the 201.0-1.1academic year under the School of Social Sciences, but it has
been suspended since 2013 due supposedly to lack of takers among
postgraduate candidates.20 And now, lt's Centre for Policy Research and
lnternational Studies (CenPRIS) is mulling whether to change back its name to its
original Centre for Policy Research (CPR), presumably due to the departure of
expertise associated with international and area studies.2l
2. Developments in Multi-Disciplinary Area Studies in the Era of Globalisation

ln its early stages as an academic discipline, area studies were embroiled in
fierce competition with discipline-centric social sciences. Social scientists
promoted the capacity of disciplines such as political science, economics,
anthropology and sociology to offer theories and explanations of social
phenomena transcending national, cultural, ethnic and religious boundaries.
The trend of modelling society in accordance with universal principles gave rise
to modernisation theories that dominated scholarship of newly independent
nation states in the 1950s and 1960s. A classic example of such a theory was
W.W. Rostow's (1"960) stages of economic growth, which postulated five phases
of growth, viz. traditional society, pre-conditions for take-off, the take-off stage,
the drive to maturity stage and the age of high mass consumption. Rostow's
theory was heavily criticised by area studies scholars not only for its overly
mechanical nature but also for its apparent bias towards the experiences of
Western nation states, with the patronising implication that neo-liberal
17
http://fass.u m.edu.my/imaees/fass/doc/buku%20pa ndua n2011%20201"2/PENGAJ IAN%20AStA%2
0TENGGARA.pdf (accessed 20 March 2014).
18 http ://www. u km. mv/ikmas/ (accessed
1" 1 Septem ber 2015).
19 http:l/www.ikon"ukm.mv/ (accessed 11
September 2015).
20 http://www.ips.usm.mv/index.php/programme/mixedMode/asianStudies (accessed 20 March
2014). The present author managed the course 'lslam in Southeast Asia'for this programme.
21 lnformation derived from CenPRlS's Strategic Development Workshop in Penang, 21-23
August
2015, which the present author participated as a guest speaker. See http://cenpris.usm.mv/ for a
brief history of this centre of excellence of USM.
80 | International Conference 2015

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economic policies should be prioritised by developing countries if they were to

follow the growth trajectory charted by their more developed counterparts (cf.
Itagaki 1963).
Apart from challenges emanating from modernisation theory and its variations,
the emergence and subsequent popularity of rational choice theory also
threatened the legitimacy of area studies. Rational choice theory basically
hypothesises that humans will act rationally according to choices faced by them,
irrespective of variables which differentiate people based on nationality,
citizenship, culture, ethnicity and religion (Johnson dan Keehn 1994).ln political
science for instance, value-neutral assumptions proposed by rational choice
theorists challenged the foundations of democratic theory, presenting severe
obstacles towards its variegated applicability in developing countries whose
democratic roots were dissimilar to that of the West (Petracca 1991).
Logistically, with the end of'the Cold War following the dismantling of the Soviet
Union and the communist bloc in 1991, Western funding for area studies
projects decreased in correspondence with geo-strategic shifts (Ludden 2000)'
Sponsorship for fieldwork is of huge importance to area studies scholars, many
of whom employ techniques of ethnographic research to gather primary data.
Ethnography proposes the researcher's direct participation in the lives of
individual subjects and societies investigated, to the extent that indigenous and
local elements are internalised for analytical purposes. Ethnographers
familiarise themselves with societal norms such that they are able to represent
their research subjects, speaking in their language and effectively becoming
their voices to the outside world. Ethnography sometimes necessitates close
involvement with the research subjects for many years, not just two or three
months as practised by some postgraduates of recent times. A handful of
ethnographers become so immersed in their studies that they voluntariiy
choose to relocate and marry members of the community, becoming in effect
part of the society they were so dutifully researching on. ln short, they simply
fell in love with their research topic and subjects. At the time when
conventional social scientists formulate generic theories which postulate
universal values and concepts, area studies scholars deny any claim to the
general applicability of their discourse, recognising instead national, cultural and
ethno-religious variations of their research subjects (Bates 1997\.
Area studies scholars devote a good amount of their lifetime honing expertise in
as many units of analyses of their fieldwork subjects. Acknowledged as experts
in their chosen areas, they are nonetheless exposed to severe criticism for

allegedly disregarding contemporary developments in their original disciplines.

The reality of higher education in universities all over the world classifies both
students and academics into takers of major and minor disciplines. A social
science student, for instance, will not only be trained in his chosen area as an
Asian or African pundit, but he or she is obligated to go through training as a
sociologist, anthropologist, economist or political scientist. A potential area
studies expert will not want his or her analyses be dismissed for neglecting
concepts and discourses in the humanities and social sciences. Discipline-centric
scholars likewise need fields to test their hypotheses and models. without
empirical evidence, theories are left as theories, and therefore risk rejection as
no more than intellectual exercises without grounding in the real world.
Based on the logical necessity of benefiting concomitantly from trends in both

area-centric studies and discipline-centric research, a lot of scholars have called
for synergising both types of research as an integrated whole (Bates 1997,
Kuijper 2008). Among serious shortcomings identified with area studies
discourses are theoretical weaknesses and undue obsession with particular
geographical areas, thus begetting insularity. Such trends are considered
anachronistic in the age of globalisation, which has affected academic
disciplines as well. Allegations have therefore surfaced against area studies
focusing on their alleged parochiality, which in turn is said to unduly limit the
capacity of human and social sciences to speak up for humanity. Area studies
practitioners have been vulnerable to accusations of restricting the scope of
their discourse, its supposed'indigeneity'acting as a shield against attempts to
deduce general conclusions from their fieldwork laboratories.
As the world shrinks to a global village, area studies seemed to be regressively

evincing hybrid characteristics which emphasised more on particularity rather
than ubiquitous enhancement of knowledge. Having allegedly failed to integrate
area-based scholarship with contemporary trends in the humanities and social
sciences, area studies was attacked for not devising a coherent paradigm
through which area-based data could be rigorously interrogated and processed
through disciplinary lenses (Ludden 2000). Area studies fell out of favour with
university administrators and educational bureaucrats who perceived it as
failing to integrate Iocal and global knowledge. policy makers regret the
perceived tendencies of area studies scholars to create little islands of exclusive
knowledge ostensibly to protect the uniqueness of local knowledge against the
onslaught of a neo-colonial agenda, which the scholars suspect of being behind
the resurgence of the basic humanities and social science disciplines. Area
studies has been censured for effectively legitimising the compartmentalisation

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of knowledge and being incapable of churning out perspectives which cut across
artificial boundaries which separate human societies. ln a nutshell, in its state of
decline in the 1990s, it could only afford to claim to have multi-disciplinary but
not trans-disciplinary or inter-disciplinary characteristics; by which mutual
interactions among disciplines are given the proper attention they deserve
(Bencomo and Colla 1993, Kuijper 2008).
3. Challenges Facing Prospective Area Studies Practitioners within the Context

of Contemporary Social Sciences and the Humanities
The manifold epistemological challenges that area studies practitioners face in
academically legitmising their field of expertise, in addition to the steep draining
of financial sponsorship for exhaustive fieldwork, motivated them to better
integrate their discourse with contemporaneous trends in the humanities and
social sciences. Facing potential closures of area studies departments, many of
them were singled out by university administrators as being of low economic
value, area studies was gradually subsumed under the human sciences and
social science faculties. Synergising of interests and expertise eventually
produced trans-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary academic programmes and
research. On the one hand, relatively new disciplines such as ethnic studies,
cultural studies and gender studies were enriched by the incorporation of area
studies data and research rigour into their discourse. On the other hand, area
studies scholars were able to liberate their analyses and findings from regional
and national fetters, raising the possibility of hitherto area-centric categories
and arguments gaining wider acceptance within major disciplines or being
applied across distinct societies, at least within a comparative farmework
(Ludden 2000).
Following years of integration or as some would say, absorption of area studies

into the disciplines, an area studies scholar no longer feels himself or herself to
be an outcast among the community of social scientists. He or she may still be a
recognised expert in a particular region or country, but this does not dilute his
position as, for example, a political scientist, sociologist, anthropologist or
economist. ln fact, better integration among the disciplines has produced hybrid
professions such as political economists, political sociologists, economic
historians, political geographers, etc. Movements of staff between faculties may
now transcend both research areas and academic disciplines. Greater
interaction among faculty members of various expertises enhances ideas and
opportunities for more adventurous coilaborative projects and publications that
cut across strict disciplinary boundaries. Both area studies and discipline-based
scholars are welcome to publish in renowned journals such as the lournol of
lnternational Conference 2015 I 83

Asian Studies, Pocific Affoirs, Asian Survey, Pocific Review, Asian Studies Review,
Criticol Asion Studies,lournal of Contemporory Asio, Modern Asion Studies and
the Journal of Asion and Africon Studies. An important criterion for submissions
to these outlets is the trans-disciplinary character of the manuscripts that
qualify to be considered for publication.
Contemporary scholarship trends encourage area studies scholars to widen

their discourse to include not only trans-disciplinary aspects but also to be able
to compare research subjects of different geographical scope. The comparative
framework tests the rigour of a scholar's research methodology and analytical
tools, besides gaining a wider audience to his or her works. A researcher who
has hitherto concentrated on Malaysia, for instance, might now compare and
contrast his or her methods and conclusions with similar works on lndonesia or
Thailand, or offer analyses based on Malaysian data but with a Southeast Asian
relevance. Research collaboration between different universities and countries
can be realistically envisaged. The advent of the internet means that physical
distance between researchers no longer poses logistical difficulties for meetings,
discussions and brainstorming sessions. Concrete theories can not only be
conjectures, but may also be tested simultaneously in several fields by different
groups of field researchers. With respect to Malaysian social scientists, such
research ventures can help them overcome recurrent problems associated with
dearth of theory and methodological insularity that have beset their discourses
all this while. Malaysian scholars have hitherto been found to not only lack the
capability to relate their findings to wider relevance beyond Malaysia, but also
situate their empirical discourse within the fundamental academic disciplines
(Abdul Rahman 2010).
For area studies enthusiasts in Southeast Asia, the room to publish their findings
and analyses in respectable publication outlets is wide open, as long as the
works are based on cutting-edge research and are of high enough quality to
pass the reviewers' assessment. At the international level, Asian Studies and
Southeast Asian Studies-based journals welcome both trans-disciplinary and
I
single-discipline contributions. Examples of outstanding quality Southeast Asian
Studies outlets are the Journol of Southeost Asian Studies (Cambridge),
l Contemporary Southeost Asia (Singapore), Southeost Asion Studies (Kyoto),
South Eost Asio Reseorch (London), lndonesia ond the Malay World (London)
and the Journol of Southeost Asian Current Affoirs (Hamburg). Some previously
Southeast Asian Studies-based journals have enlarged their scope to cover Asian
Studies, such as the Asion Journol of Sociol Science - hosted by the Department
of Sociology, NUS, and previously known as the Southeost Journol of Social

Science, ln Malaysia, Kajian Maloysio (USM), Akodemika (UKM) and Pertonika

Journal of Sociol Sciences ond Humonlties (Universiti Putra Malaysia) all
accommodate submissions from various disciplines. USM in fact hosts three
iournals of such character, viz. Kojion Molaysio: Journol of Malaysion Studies,
Kemonusioon: Asion Journal of Humonities and lhe lnternotionol lournol of Asia-
Pacific Studies. To political scientists, besides the multi-disciplinary publishing
outlets above, they can also consider journals which appreciate their discipline-
centric expertise within the context of Asian studies such as lhe Asion lournol of
Politicol Science and the Joponese Journal of Politicol Science. Furthering this
rnter-disciplinary trend in universities is the recent openness to accept the
nomination of Masters and doctoral theses examiners from among scholars who
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come from a different academic disciplinary background and faculty from those
I :f the candidate and supervisor.
}t
in furthering the prospects for Southeast Asia to become an educational hub

which attracts students and visiting academics from all over the world, its
tertiary institutions ought not to be left behind in multi-disciplinary and trans-
disciplinary advancements of the frontiers of knowledge. Activating inter-
disciplinary and multi-disciplinary area studies is one feasible way of achieving
this noble goal. Academic collaborations have already begun to be cemented
not only across disciplines but also across continental borders even at the most
, basic level of tertiary education. NUS, for instance, has pioneered an
t undergraduate syllabus which combines the sciences and liberal arts through its
n cooperation with Yale University, USA.22
4. Future of Area Studies: A Southeast Asian Perspective

The 'defeat' of area studies to discipline-based social science in the post-Cold
I War era is not absolute (Ludden 2000). On the contrary, it has enriched area
) studies and also the various disciplines via active integration of knowledge,
il information, data and approaches, even though this was not the originally
:l intended outcome.23 Hence, area studies practitioners need not be dejected by
n the perceived dilution of area studies as an academic discipline. They should
a accept positively this development with open arms and endeavour for
;r innovation in research and learning in ways that do not neglect contemporary
;ir trends in the humanities and social sciences, taking full advantage of their
experiences on the field in specific regions and countries. They can look forward
rr positively to recent trends in higher education which better appreciate the
5
22 http://www.vale-nus.edu.sg/curriculum/common-curriculum/ (accessed 11 September 2015)
i5 23 With respect to Southeast Asian Studies, see a recent discussion on this by Pepinsky (2015).
*
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utility of multi-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary curricula and research, with a

long term view of global graduates who understand and apply knowledge in
multi-dimensional ways.24 The upsurge of multi-disciplinary approaches as a
general phenomenon is lauded by even Western scholars who have raised
alarms at the ramifications of the decline of humanistic values in a higher
education scene that over-emphasises science and technology, tangible rewards
and material benefits.2s
ln the face of epistemological and logistical challenges, area studies continue to

survive in renowned universities of the world. The potentially inimical
implications of area studies arising from its neo-colonial roots have been diluted
by the admittance that the world has become more plural in the past half a
century, and area studies offers many opportunities to better understand the
conflict-ridden world in challenging times. For the community of area studies
scholars, such an acknowledgment is a priceless appreciation, notwithstanding
the fact that power brokers of a hegemonic agenda may still be present in
committees that decide on the availability and amount of research funds, the
scope of public discourse, the acceptability of manuscripts for publication and
even the promotion and career path of academics. At the end of the day, a
scholar has to determine for himself or herself his or her honesty in furthering
the boundaries of knowledge in his or her chosen areas of expertise. lt is indeed
a disappointment when a scholar is found to act as no better than a lackey of
vested political interests of major world powers or of ruling elites of particular
countries who sometimes donate funds for researchers to come out with
findings that support their skewed agendas, masquerading behind the cloak of
objectivity. While the scholarly world yearns for truly disinterested scholarship,
whether this can be achieved independently from the interests of and terms
and conditions imposed by the wielders of power who are often also funders
poses significant challenges to Southeast Asian area specialists (Thurn 201,2).
As much as he or she is concerned with how the world views the nation state in
which he or she is practising his or her expertise, the Southeast Asian area
specialist foregrounds Asian values and automatically serves humanity in
accomplishing the quest to expand horizons of knowledge beyond parochial or
limited concerns, whether defined by area or discipline. lt is the family of
humanity which ultimately weds peoples of distinct nationalities, countries,
24 See for example the scenario in lndia as reported by Alya Mishra (2014).
25 See for example Columbia University Director of American Studies Andrew Delbanco's (2013)
take on humanities crisis.

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ethnicities, religions, cultures and linguistic orientations together. Hence, in

spite of manifold attacks from various quarters lamenting the instrumental
nature of area studies as a tool of imperialism in its many shades to the extent
of being held at the same dishonourable par with orientalism, area studies
provides invaluable avenues for the compilation and aggregation of collective
potentially
experiences of different segments of humankind such that they can
appreciate one another's existence on this mortal world. ln its ambiguity and
supposed lack of theory lies the Asian-like modesty of area studies, in contrast
with the hubris and air of cultural superiority that accompanied the rise of
scientific positivism and social Darwinism of nineteenth century Occidental
civilisation (Schwartz 1996: 98-113).
References
L. Abdul Rahman Embong, Emeritus Professor Dato' Dr., 'Rethinking the
Future of Malaysian Studies', Berita PSSM, no' L2, May 2010'
2. Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, tslamic Education in Maloysia, RSls
Monograph No. 1"8, singapore: s. Rajaratnam school of lnternational
Studies, Nanyang Technological University, 2OtO'
malavsia/#.Ve -lgKqpHw (accessed 9 September 2015)'

3. Brt"r, Robert H., 'Area Studies and the Discipline: A Useful controversy"
Politicol Science and Politics, vol. 30, no.2, 1997:L66-169'
4. Bencomo, clarisa and Elliott colla, 'Area studies, Multiculturalism, and
the Problems of Expert Knowledge', Bod Subiects, issue #p, 1993,
http://bad.eserver.org/ issues/1993/06/bencomo-colla.html (accessed
ll september 2015).
5. Cumings, Bruce, 'Boundary Displacement: Area Studies and
lnternational studies during and after the cold war' , Bulletin of
Concerned Asian Scholars, vol.29, no. t, 1997:6-26'
6. Delbanco, Andrew,'The Humanities Crisis', Proiect Syndicote, tz
November 20L3, http://www.Proiect-
icate.
and-humanities-in-higher-education#vaVsdCpdl8RQGlKv'99, (accessed
l"l September 2015).

7. Kuijper, Hans, 'Area Studies versus Disciplines: Towards an
lnterdisciplinary, systemic country Approach" lnternational lournal of
lnterdisciplinory Socialsciences, vol. 3, no. 7, 2008: 205-21'6'
8. Itagaki, Yoichi, 'criticism of Rostow's Stage Approach: The concepts of
Stage, System and Type', Journol of Developing Economies, vol' 1, no' 1,
1963:1,'17.
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ASIAN VALUES AND HUMAN FUTURE

Dr. Joy Thomas SVD

1_.Asian Spiritual Traditions: Birthing a Trans-Cultural Spirituality