‘Asian values’ as reverse Orientalism: Singapore

Abstract

It is possible to demonstrate, using Singapore as a key example, the way in which the attribution of a set of`Asian values' represented a Western project which is best labelled`reverse Orientalism'. This process entailed the attribution of a set of cultural values to East and Southeast Asian societies by Western social scientists in order to contrast the recent dynamic progress of Asian development with the stagnation and social disorganisation of contemporary Western economies and societies. The contrast provided legitimation for some of the nation-building policies of political leaders in such countries as Singapore and was incorporated in attempts to identify and institutionalise core values.

The roles of value predispositions, communication, and third person perception on public support for censorship of films with homosexual content

“…Tai (1989) has described Singaporeans as Westernized in their outward appearance, but rooted in the Oriental culture. While the government often highlights 'Asianness' as part of its national ideology (Hill, 2000), it also embraces capitalism, a form of Western influence (Tamney, 1996). Moreover, having been under the British rule for over a century until its independence in 1965, Singapore was considerably influenced by the Western values passed on by the British (Quah, 1995).…”

Keeping Up Appearances before the “Other”? Interculturality and Occidentalism in the Educational TV-Program “Happy Chinese”

“…Eventually, the father gets very drunk and starts behaving in a strange manner. When he wakes up the next morning, his family criticizes him for having tried to stick to tradition (Reverse Orientalism, see Hill, 2000). This represents in a sense a criticism of the creation and maintenance of a "traditional" Chinese image by the Chinese themselves.…”

“…Re-Orientalism is defined as "based on how cultural producers with Eastern affiliations come to terms with an orientalised East, whether by complying with perceived expectations of Western readers, by playing (along) with them or by discarding them altogether" (Lau & Mendes, 2011, p. 1). Hill (2000) defines reverse orientalism as "entail(ing) the attribution of a set of cultural values to East and Southeast Asian societies by Western social scientists in order to contrast the recent dynamic progress of Asian development with the stagnation and social disorganisation of contemporary Western economies and societies. The contrast provided legitimation for some of the nation-building policies of political leaders in such countries as Singapore and was incorporated in attempts to identify and institutionalise core values" (p. 178).…”

Assessing the New Washington Pluralism from the Perspective of the Malaysian Model

“…In Singapore parliament identified communitarian values like filial piety, collectivism, consensus, discipline and respect for authority as the basis for Singapore's socio-economic success. 17 Referring to such Asian Values, it not only began to defend a separate economic model, but also something called 'Asian Democracy', 18 challenging the universality of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Bangkok Declaration of 1993. 19 In Malaysia the new confidence was evidenced by the declaration of the ambitious Wawasan 2020 (Vision 2020) programme by Mahathir, in which he set out plans for Malaysia to be a developed country by 2020.…”