Asia Institute - Research Publications
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ItemWorld Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA)(John Wiley & Sons, 2018-10-05)Since the early twentieth century, countless modern anthropological studies have paid tribute to the richness of cultural diversity across societies, as well as highlighting some of the existential conditions we all share as human beings. The discipline has not been able to serve as an undistorted mirror of this unity in diversity, however, because scholars from a few privileged nations have dominated the process of anthropological knowledge construction over most of this period of time. The World Council of Anthropological Associations was founded to overcome this deficit by providing a global platform for free communication and democratic participation in the spirit of a new “world anthropologies” paradigm.
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ItemBali Mula: An Introduction to Indigenous Highland Balinese History, Ritual and Social Organisation(National Museum of Prehistory, 2018)More than fifty villages in the central highlands and along the northern coast of the island of Bali, Indonesia, share a common indigenous culture distinct from that of mainstream Balinese society. Based on ethnographic research conducted in 1993-94, and then regularly for shorter periods every year until now, this article looks at the ethnohistory of this Austronesian-speaking people, known as the Bali Mula or Bali Aga (meaning ‘original’ or ‘mountain Balinese’ respectively). The focus will be the ritual order of their regional domains and characteristic local village councils. Ritual relationships define these two major institutions of Bali Mula society according to a principle of seniority or, more precisely, precedence (‘proximity to origins’). Bali Mula social organisation is rather similar to that of Taiwanese indigenous people, shedding light on the historical process of cultural dispersion of the Austronesian peoples.
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ItemUnity in Diversity: Why we need to do justice to local characteristics and identities while also cultivating a sense of global citizenship(Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, 2018)We have been witnessing a massive nationalist reaction to globalisation in recent years, the reasons for which can be difficult to untangle. If intellectuals hastily come to the defence of the globalist position and demonise this opposite point of view, we only add to a general climate of hostility that is poisoning the prospects for rational public debate in many countries. Rather, our duty is to reveal what is really at stake in this struggle, to identify the forces that are at play, and to make proposals for how to address the underlying problems associated with ‘real-existing globalisation.’ In short, we need to present the public with alternatives superior to those offered by a legion of democracy-, journalism- and science-bashing right-wing demagogues.
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ItemThe Principle of Unity in Diversity as a Measured Response to Resurgent Nationalism: Valuing local diversity as well as global citizenship is not a contradiction(Risk Institute, Trieste- Geneva, 2018)The ideological war between globalism and resurgent nationalism in recent years is seen as an invitation to take sides by many intellectuals. Demonising or dismissing followers of the new right-wing nationalism is easy, but the outcome of the Brexit referendum and the last presidential election in the USA should have taught us that ignoring the genuine arguments of this demographic is foolish and dangerous. It reflects a failure by globalists to appreciate the externalised costs of globalisation and the people who bear these costs disproportionately. Supporters of renewed parochialism and xenophobia in turn fail to acknowledge the facticity of our current state of global interdependence, and indeed the urgent need for even greater global cooperation. I will argue that tensions between the two camps arise from the fact that genuine advantages are associated with national and local diversity as well as with global cooperation and unity. In short, from a rational perspective, the purely nationalist and the purely globalist viewpoint are both incomplete, and a new higher order perspective is needed to resolve the issue. This paper is an attempt to develop such a more integrated perspective beyond nationalism and globalism. I will be drawing on some of my own research, which has shown that local cultures in Asia have been experiencing strong globalisation pressures and also have been pushing back through a range of revitalisation movements. The paper draws also on my complementary experiences of working in a number of organisations that are global, but wherein diversity is valued and retained.
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ItemDeveloping Trust: An Integrated Vision for Social and Environmental Sustainability and Justice(UNESCO, 2018)This paper addresses the question of how the world can move toward a common vision and procedure for achieving socio-ecological sustainability and justice, rather than suffer a catastrophic collapse of civilization. I begin by arguing that this aim can only be achieved through an integrated and holistic process of transformation of our economy and way of life, and that the knowledge sector will be central to facilitating this process. If we reflect on the current role of science in society, especially in the ecological context of the anthropocene and the political context of post-truth polemics, fulfilling this role will require us to heal the fact-value split that has until now kept science separate from or servile to the realm of political action. Social science can be particularly helpful at this historic juncture, by helping to define the psycho-social prerequisites that must be met in order to develop a common and inclusive vision and action plan for a sustainable and just society. Social science shows that endemic collective action issues can be addressed systemically through dialogue, co-designed planning and cooperation. It is argued that the central challenge on the pathway toward universal and sustained human security is thus the building of trust.
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ItemThe Future of Democracy: Challenges & Prospects(Risk Institute, Trieste- Geneva, 2018)Unprecedented speed, interconnectivity, complexity and uncertainty are impacting all spheres of global society today, presenting challenges that were not foreseen even a few years ago. The end of the Cold War was interpreted by many as the final victory for democracy and capitalism over authoritarian socialism. A quarter century after the sudden collapse of communism and the emergence of a new democratic consensus, liberal democracy itself is under threat. Former bastions of democracy are exhibiting a level of populism and polarization previously associated only with nascent, tenuous democracies in countries with low levels of education and economic development. The shared vision that constituted the foundation for the democratic consensus is breaking down. Doubts, fears and insecurity have shaken faith in the institutions of governance and the confidence of youth in a better future. Nations are closing their borders, retreating from global cooperation, and casting the blame on minorities and foreigners in a manner reminiscent of an earlier century. Participants in the WAAS Roundtable on the Future of Democracy at Dubrovnik on April 3-5, 2018 recognized that this shift in direction is the result of a complex nexus of forces that have been shaping the future for decades. The group shared valuable insights into our present dilemma while maintaining the diversity of perspective essential for understanding a complex, multidimensional global phenomenon still in the process of unfolding. The discussion identified numerous practical steps that can be taken to moderate extreme aberrations resulting from the misuse of social power. It also recognized that fundamental changes are needed to develop more effective systems of governance capable of fully supporting the aspirations of humanity, maximizing the equity and effectiveness of social institutions and the future evolution of global society.
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ItemInternationalizing Anthropology(IIAC-LAHIC, UMR 8177, 2018)This article presents a brief history of international anthropology, which underwent a major development form 2004 to 2018.
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ItemRumah Leluhur Kami: Kelebihdahuluan dan Dualisme dalam Masyarakat Bali Dataran Tinggi(Yayasan Obor, 2018)The 'Mountain Balinese' (Bali Aga) are an indigenous ethnic group whose principle homeland is the central highland region of Bali, Indonesia. While this small island has been the site of countless anthropological and historical studies and is renowned as a major destination for international tourism, foreign visitors have rarely caught more than a tantalising glimpse of the ancient culture and unique society of its mountain people. The following ethnographic account aspires to close this significant gap in our understanding of Balinese culture. In the course of exploring the thought and society of the Bali Aga, however, this book strives to advance also the comparative study of numerous other societies whose populations, like the Balinese, are speakers of Austronesian languages.