'How does one comprehend the phenomenon of the modernization of an Asian society in a globalized East Asian context? With this opening question, the author proceeds to give an account of how the modernization processes for postcolonial societies in Asia, such as those of India, Malaysia, and Singapore, are fraught with collaborations and conflicts between different socio-political, historical, economic, and cultural agents. Such ambivalent dynamics contribute to what Wee argues as a 'revealing distortion' of the extant models of Western modernity, which is nonetheless rooted in the politics of worldwide capitalism.
Wee's narrative refuses to accept the uncritical interpretation of the modernizing processes in Asia as liberation from the hegemony of Euro-American capitalism. But neither is Wee prepared to concede that all cultural initiatives in the postcolonial societies are, therefore, denied all power to devise alternative forms of expression in the face of this haunting presence. It is the persistent effort to see the many faces of modernization in Asia in their full complexity that sets this study apart.
Readers will discover that what seems to be the modernization of a single geopolitical entity is inevitably linked to the dynamics of various agents in other locations at different times, which makes us reflect on the existence of the many 'distortions' in our societies.' - from publisher's website.
Access level

Onsite

Location code
REF.WCJ
Language

English

Publication/Creation date

2007

No of pages

210

ISBN / ISSN

9789622098596

No of copies

1

Content type

monograph

Chapter headings

Chapter 1: The Asian Modern

Part 1 Deterritorialisation

Chapter 2: The 'Modern' Construction of Postcolonial Singapore

Chapter 3: Economic Development and the National Narrative

Chapter 4: The Homogenised Urban Environment and Locality

Part 2 Reterritorialisation

Chapter 5: The State, Ethnic Identity and Capitalism

Chapter 6: Staging Cultural Fragments, the Singaporean Eunuch and the Asian Lear

Epilogue: Disciplinary Modernisation, the Asian Economic Crisis and Re-invention

The Asian Modern: Culture, Capitalist Development, Singapore
Share
Citation
Rights statement

In Copyright

What does this mean?

This item is covered by one or more copyrights. It is available for research only or use within Hong Kong’s fair dealing rules. Please do not copy, re-use or reproduce this item without the permission of the copyright holder.

The Asian Modern: Culture, Capitalist Development, Singapore