1st Edition

Culture, Religion and Conflict in Muslim Southeast Asia Negotiating Tense Pluralisms

Edited By Joseph Camilleri, Sven Schottmann Copyright 2013
    216 Pages
    by Routledge

    216 Pages
    by Routledge

    By examining the sometimes surprising and unexpected roles that culture and religion have played in mitigating or exacerbating conflicts, this book explores the cultural repertoires from which Southeast Asian political actors have drawn to negotiate the pluralism that has so long been characteristic of the region.

    Focusing on the dynamics of identity politics and the range of responses to the socio-political challenges of religious and ethnic pluralism, the authors assembled in this book illuminate the principal regional discourses that attempt to make sense of conflict and tensions. They examine local notions of "dialogue," "reconciliation," "civility" and "conflict resolution" and show how varying interpretations of these terms have informed the responses of different social actors across Southeast Asia to the challenges of conflict, culture and religion. The book demonstrates how stumbling blocks to dialogue and reconciliation can and have been overcome in different parts of Southeast Asia and identifies a range of actors who might be well placed to make useful contributions, propose remedies, and initiate action towards negotiating the region’s pluralism.

    This book provides a much needed regional and comparative analysis that makes a significant contribution to a better understanding of the interfaces between region and politics in Southeast Asia.

    1. Culture, religion and the Southeast Asian State Sven Schottmann and Joseph Camilleri Part 1: States, discourses and grandes idées  2. Religion and Culture in Southeast Asian regionalism Joseph Camilleri 3. Religious pluralism in Malaysia: Can there be Dialogue? Gerhard Hoffstaedter 4. Paving the Ground? Malaysia’s democratic prospects and the Mahathir government’s islamic discourse Sven Schottmann 5. Turning conservative Muslims into ‘good citizens’: New allies in the management of islam in Singapore after 9/11 Michael D. Barr Part 2: Conflict and reconciliation 6. Managing cultural diversity and conflict: The Malaysian experience Alberto G. Gomes 7. From colonialist to infidel: Framing the enemy in southern thailand’s ‘Cosmic war’ Virginie André 8. Chinese indonesians, kongkow and prabowo: A story of reconciliation in post-nEw Order Indonesia Jemma Purdey 9. Finding a way forward: The search for reconciliation in the Philippines Peter M. Sales 10. Devotional Islam and democratic practice: The case of Aceh’s Qanun Jinayat Damien Kingsbury 11. Tools of conflict, levers of cohesion: Culture and religion in Muslim Southeast Asia Syed Muhammad Khairudin Aljunied

    Biography

    Joseph A. Camilleri is Director of the Centre for Dialogue, La Trobe University, Australia. His research interests include regional and global governance, the political economy of Asia-Pacific, the role of religion and culture in international affairs, the politics of oil and the Middle East, and security policy.

    Sven Schottmann is a Research Associate at the Centre for Dialogue, La Trobe University, Australia. His main research interests are Muslim social movements in Southeast Asia, as well as the range of intellectual and imaginative encounters between Muslims in different parts of the world.