Asian Freedoms
The Idea of Freedom in East and Southeast Asia

A prestigious group of contributors examines how Western ideas of freedom have been accepted and adapted in Asia.

David Kelly (Edited by), Anthony Reid (Edited by)

9780521637572, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 13 June 1998

240 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm, 0.36 kg

Many Westerners assume that freedom has been bypassed in Asia, given the often brutal suppression of demands for its extension in some Asian countries, and its more tentative status in others where desire for social order is dominant. This book argues that Western ideas of freedom have become widely accepted in Asia, and the key determinant for measuring a range of legal, ethical and political practices. The book finds that modern conceptions of freedom throughout Asia are rooted in local histories, institutions and practices, becoming adapted to local contexts. The book avoids cultural relativism and blanket generalisations, but does find a number of common ideas relating to freedom across the region. A prestigious group of contributors explores freedom from historical, religious, political and ideological perspectives, acknowledging the many variations in the theme of human liberation.

1. Freedom: a Eurasian mosaic David Kelly
2. Buddhism and freedom Ian Mabbett
3. Freedom and freehold: space, people and state simplification in Southeast Asia Jim Scott
4. Chine and freedom Bill Jenner
5. Freedom and the family: gendering Meiji political thought Vera Mackie
6. The Chinese search for freedom as a universal value David Kelly
7. Merdeka: the concept of freedom in Indonesia Tony Reid
8. Slavery and modernity: freedom in the making of modern Siam Thanet Aphornsuvan
9. The idea of freedom in Burma and the political thought of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Josef Silverstein
10. Freedom and elite political theory in Vietnam before the French Alexander Woodside.

Subject Areas: Freedom of information & freedom of speech [JPVH2], Political ideologies [JPF], Cultural studies [JFC]