Weaving Diversities in Southeast Asia: Political, Social and Cultural Perspective
Southeast Asia is a land of great diversity, a situation that led some scholars to describe it as “the Balkans of the Orient”. However, differences as well as similarities characterize this region. “Weaving diversities” is thus taken as consisting in presenting a regional profile that represents the idea of “unity in diversity”.
This overview of the region attempts to elucidate how both differences and similarities are inherent in three main aspects of the region – politics, society and culture. Only some features of these aspects will be highlighted:
- Politically, Southeast Asia countries, except Thailand, share colonial experiences, but the diversity of these experiences led to complex outcomes in their post-independence political development.
- Socially, amidst vast differences, Southeast Asian peoples show certain similar ways of life, most notably rice farming and settlement patterns.
- Culturally, diversity is perhaps most conspicuous – in the multiplicities of ethnic and linguistic groups, as well as differences in religious beliefs. However, Southeast Asian peoples share similar cultural traits, such as belief in spirits or animism and kinship and the extended family, among others.
Despite its vast diversity, Southeast Asia has strived to achieve some level of unity, especially through the regional grouping – ASEAN. The grouping has to some extent succeeded in building identity and shared values, especially in the form of a community that is inclusive, resilient, sustainable, integrated and cohesive, with enhanced connectivity and sectoral cooperation, among others. Indeed, it has striven to achieve “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.
