Editing Asian values

{{Short description|Political ideology that arose in the 1990s}}
{{Conservatism in Singapore|Principles}}
{{Conservatism in East Asia|concepts}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}

'''Asian values''' is a [[political ideology]] that attempts to define elements of society, culture and history common to the nations of [[Southeast Asia|Southeast]] and [[East Asia]], particularly values of [[Sense of community|commonality]] and [[Social organization|collectivism]] for social unity and economic good — contrasting with perceived [[European values|European ideals]] of the [[universal rights]] of all individuals.

== Definition ==
Various definitions of ''Asian values'' have been put forth. Generally, the phrase alludes to influences by [[Confucianism]],<ref name="De Bary (1998)"/>{{rp|page=10}} in particular, [[filial piety]] or loyalty towards the family, corporation, and nation; the forgoing of personal [[Freedom (political)|freedom]] for the sake of society's stability and prosperity; the pursuit of academic and technological excellence; and, a strong work ethic together with [[Frugality|thrift]].

Supporters of Chinese-style [[authoritarian]] governments<ref name="De Bary (1998)"/>{{rp|page=13}} claim that Asian values are more appropriate for the region than [[Western democracy]] with its emphasis on individual freedoms.<ref>Mark R Thompson, [http://sites.asiasociety.org/asia21summit/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/PacificAsia.pdf "Pacific Asia after 'Asian values'"], ''Third World Quarterly'', 2004.</ref>

"Asian values" were codified and promoted in the [[universal declaration of human rights#Bangkok Declaration|Bangkok Declaration of 1993]], which re-emphasized the principles of sovereignty, [[self-determination]], and non-interference in civil and political rights. They included:
* Preference for [[social]] harmony;
* Concern with [[socio-economic]] prosperity and the collective well-being of the community;
* Loyalty and respect towards figures of authority;
* Preference for [[Collectivism and individualism|collectivism]] and [[communitarianism]].

== History ==
Historically, there has been no shared "Asian" identity, and the concept of unified geographical regional identity at the time of its popularity in the 20th century was not strictly limited to Asia.<ref name="De Bary (1998)">De Bary W. [https://books.google.com/books?id=pg5z-ho6Y4EC&q=%22asian+values%22 "Asian Values and Human Rights: A Confucian Communitarian Perspective."] Harvard University Press, 1998 {{ISBN|0674049551}}, 9780674049550.</ref>{{rp|page=2}} 

Asian values gained popularity in the People's Republic of [[China]], the [[Republic of China]] (under the [[Kuomintang]]), [[Malaysia]] (under [[Mahathir Mohamad]]), [[Singapore]] (under [[Lee Kuan Yew]]), [[Indonesia]], [[South Korea]] and in [[Japan]] (perhaps as early as the pre World War II era).<ref>Bar M. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XBXMOLjOVAcC&q=%22asian+values%22 "Cultural Politics and Asian Values: The Tepid War."] Routledge, 2004 {{ISBN|0415338263}}, 9780415338264.</ref> In the West, the study of Asian values was seen as a way to understand Asia and foster a closer relationship with the region.<ref>Cauquelin J. et al. [https://books.google.com/books?id=A42sAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22asian+values%22&pg=PT3 "Asian Values: Encounter with Diversity."] Routledge, 2014 {{ISBN|1136841253}}, 9781136841255.</ref>

Proponents claim the concept helped reconcile [[Islam]], [[Confucianism]] and [[Hinduism]] in [[Singapore]] and [[Malaysia]], and was unifying because it was different to the philosophy of the West.<ref>Nishida K ''Nishida Kitaro Zenshu'' (Complete Works of Nishida Kitaro in 19 volumes), 4th ed., Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo 1989.</ref> Lee Kuan Yew maintained that, more than economics or politics, a nation's culture determines its fate,<ref>Zakaria F [http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/49691/fareed-zakaria/a-conversation-with-lee-kuan-yew "A Conversation with Lee Kwan Yu"] ''Foreign Affairs'', Journal of the Council on Foreign Affairs, a non-partisan organisation, Florida, US. March – April 1994.</ref> describing Asian values as the "primacy of group interests over individual interests" which "support the total group effort necessary to develop rapidly".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Huntington |first1=Samuel P. |title=The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order |date=1997 |publisher=Penguin |page=108}}</ref> He described the difference between Asian values and [[Western values (West)|Western values]] as such: "The main object is to have a well-ordered society so that everybody can have maximum enjoyment of his freedoms. This freedom can only exist in an ordered state and not in a natural state of contention and anarchy".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Velayutham |first1=Selvaraj |title=Responding to Globalization Nation, Culture, and Identity in Singapore |date=2007 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |page=74}}</ref>

In [[Japan]], a concept of "Ideals of the East" was embraced in some [[Japanese nationalism|nationalist]] circles, because it challenged the West and offered the possibility of Japanese leadership in a ''new Asia''.<ref>Okakura K ''The Ideals of the East'', Tuttle Publishing, North Clarenton 1904, 2002.</ref> Some attribute the economic success of East and Southeast Asian nations in the 1960s to 1980s to  "Asian values" — a ''third-way'', Asian political model that was an alternative to [[totalitarianism]] and [[liberal democracy]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}{{who|date=May 2014}} Japan's [[Japanese economic miracle|economic miracle]] under the [[1955 System]], where the [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]] has been the dominant Japanese party nearly continuously in power since 1955, is used as an example of the success of this political model.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

The concept of "Asian values" was also evident in the planning of the handover of [[Hong Kong]] to China in 1997.{{clarify|date=May 2014}}<ref>Beatty B. [https://books.google.com/books?id=vbBFOPMKrAkC&q=%22asian+values%22 "Democracy, Asian Values, and Hong Kong: Evaluating Political Elite Beliefs."] Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003 p14 {{ISBN|0275976882}}, 9780275976880.</ref>

=== Post-2000 ===
The popularity of the concept has not persist. Some speculate it might have contributed to the religious, social, cultural and economic changes occurring in Asia in that time — for example, the [[Asian financial crisis]] and the [[Fall of Suharto|collapse]] of the [[New Order (Indonesia)|Suharto regime]] in [[Indonesia]] may have been successfully counteracted by liberal democracy.<ref>Milner A. [http://dspace.anu.edu.au/html/1885/41912/values.html "What's Happened to Asian Values?"] Faculty of Asian Studies, ANU, 1999.</ref><ref>Krugman P. [http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www/swansong.html "Latin America's Swan Song"] An MIT web page article, unsourced and date not stated. Accessed 21 May 2014.</ref><ref>Francis Fukuyama F. "The End of History and the Last Man". Free Press 1992. {{ISBN|0-02-910975-2}}.</ref>

In 2006, [[Jusuf Kalla]], the vice-president of Indonesia, linked Asian values with the proposed East Asian Free Trade Agreement and the East Asian Community arising from the [[East Asia Summit]]. He partly defended Asian values by placing emphasis on co-operation over competition.<ref>[http://english.people.com.cn/200612/01/eng20061201_327303.html "Indonesia calls for countries to bear Asian values."] People's Daily Online, an English language Chinese online news website. Accessed 21 May 2014.</ref>

In [[East Timor]], the idea of "Asian values", or "Timorese values", that diverged from the internationally understood idea of democracy emerged following the [[2012 East Timorese presidential election]]. This election saw the incumbent [[José Ramos-Horta]], a member of what was seen as an older generation linked to the introduction of democracy, eliminated in the first round.<ref>{{cite book |last=Feijó |first=Rui Graça |editor1-last=Ingram |editor1-first=Sue |editor2-last=Kent |editor2-first=Lia |editor3-last=McWilliam |editor3-first=Andrew |title=A New Era?: Timor-Leste after the UN |date=17 September 2015 |publisher=ANU Press |isbn=9781925022513 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulSyDQAAQBAJ |chapter=Challenges to the Consolidation of Democracy |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ulSyDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA59 |pages=61–62}}</ref> Ramos-Horta would, however, go on to win the presidency again a decade later, following a campaign aimed at addressing global issues affecting East Timor.<ref name="reu21ap">{{cite news |date=21 April 2022 |title=Ramos-Horta declares victory in East Timor presidential election |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ramos-horta-declares-victory-east-timor-presidential-election-2022-04-21/ |url-status=live |access-date=30 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421074711/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/ramos-horta-declares-victory-east-timor-presidential-election-2022-04-21/ |archive-date=21 April 2022}}</ref>

"Asian values" continues to be discussed in academia with reference to the question of the universality of [[human rights]], as opposed to a position of [[cultural relativism]].<ref>
[http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/57jqzl.htm "The Asian values debate and its relevance to international humanitarian law."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106040634/http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/57jqzl.htm|date=6 January 2014}} ICRC.</ref>

== Criticism ==
A number of criticisms of Asian values have been made.<ref>Bruun O. and Jacobsen M. [https://books.google.com/books?id=89CPAgAAQBAJ&q=%22asian+values%22 " Routledge, 2003]. {{ISBN|1135796262}}, 9781135796266.</ref> 

[[Kim Dae-jung]] (former [[President of South Korea]]), [[Amartya Kumar Sen]] (Indian economist, philosopher, and Nobel laureate) and [[Yu Ying-shih]] (Chinese-born American historian and sinologist) have argued that "Asian values" and the protection thereof by [[cultural relativism]] is [[doublespeak]] for suppressing [[freedom of speech]] and [[human rights]], which are framed by proponents as "[[Western values (West)|Western values]]" inapplicable to Asian society.<ref name="senleele">https://web.archive.org/web/20110706211425/http://www.hmb.utoronto.ca/HMB303H/weekly_supp/week-02/Sen_Asian_Values.pdf Human Rights and Asian Values: What Lee Kuan Yew and Le Peng don't understand about Asia</ref><ref>Kim D. [http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/50557/kim-dae-jung/is-culture-destiny-the-myth-of-asias-anti-democratic-values "Is Culture Destiny? The Myths of Asia's Anti-Democratic Values."] ''Foreign Affairs'', Florida, US, November 1994.</ref><ref name="Sen2003">{{cite book|author=Amartya Kumar Sen|title=Human Rights and Asian Values|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRXsJAAACAAJ|year=2003|publisher=Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs|isbn=978-0-87641-049-3}}</ref><ref name="Yu2005">{{cite journal|last1=Yu|first1=Ying-shih|title=Confucianism and China's encounter with the west in historical perspective|journal=Dao|date=2005|volume=4|issue=2|pages=203–216|doi=10.1007/BF02856724}}</ref> Randall Peerenboom noted that many scholars "are in general agreement that some Asian governments use the rhetoric of Asian values for self-serving ends."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Peerenboom|first=R. P.|date=2000-09-01|title=Human Rights and Asian Values: The Limits of Universalism|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/8674|journal=China Review International|language=en|volume=7|issue=2|pages=295–320|doi=10.1353/cri.2000.0096|issn=1527-9367|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Amartya Sen argues these so-called Asian values cannot operate because of the overriding cultural diversity found in Asia.<ref>Hendry J. Heung W. (ed.) ''Dismantling the East-West Dichotomy: Essays in Honour of Jan van Bremen'', New York: Routledge, 2006, {{ISBN|0-415-39738-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Amartya | first1 = S | year = 1999 | title = Democracy as a Universal Value | journal = Journal of Democracy | volume = 10 | issue = 3| pages = 3–17 }}</ref>

In 2001, [[Mark R. Thompson]] argued that the popularity of the concept waned after the [[1997 Asian financial crisis]], when it became evident that Asia lacked any coherent regional institutional mechanism to deal with the crisis.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Mark R |date=2001 |title=Whatever Happened to "Asian Values"? |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/17169 |journal=Journal of Democracy |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=154–165 |doi=10.1353/jod.2001.0083 |issn=1086-3214|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The authors of a study published in 2015 claimed that rice versus wheat agriculture explain differences in analytic thinking, "implicit individualism" and innovation between various Chinese provinces.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=T. Talhelm |display-authors=etal |date=2014 |title=Large-Scale Psychological Differences Within China Explained by Rice Versus Wheat Agriculture |journal=Science |volume=344 |issue=6184 |pages=603–608 |bibcode=2014Sci...344..603T |doi=10.1126/science.1246850 |pmid=24812395}}</ref> Compared to wheat farming, rice farming is a labor-intensive practice that requires cooperation among many people.<ref name="Outliers: The story of success">{{cite book |last1=Gladwell |first1=Malcolm |url=https://archive.org/details/outliersstoryofs0000glad |title=Outliers: The story of success |date=2008 |publisher=New York: Little, Brown and Co. |isbn=978-0-316-01792-3 |url-access=registration}}</ref> However, the results of the study are controversial due to very small sample sizes for some units of analysis, questionable measurement instruments and model misspecification. Using an improved measure of individualism-collectivism, the authors of a replication study found that the conclusion of the 2015 article claiming to show evidence for the relationship between wheat versus rice farming was the result of faulty methodology.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ruan |first1=Jianqing |last2=Xie |first2=Zhuan |last3=Zhang |first3=Xiaobo |date=2015-10-01 |title=Does rice farming shape individualism and innovation? |journal=Food Policy |volume=56 |pages=51–58 |doi=10.1016/j.foodpol.2015.07.010 |issn=0306-9192}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Asia}}
{{col div|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Asiacentrism]] 
* [[East Asian cultural sphere]]
* [[Human rights in Asia]]
* [[Oriental despotism]]
* [[Pan-Asianism]]
===Related to more specific cultures in Asia===
* ''[[Báizuǒ]]''
* [[Filipino values]]
* [[Indic cultural sphere]]
* [[Integral humanism (India)]]
* [[Japanese values]]
* ''[[Nihonjinron]]''
* [[Pancasila (politics)|Pancasila]]
* [[The White Man's Burden]]
===Not directly related to Asia===
* [[Axiology]]
* [[Colonial mentality]]
* [[Democracy promotion]]
* [[Golden straitjacket]]
* [[Guided democracy]]
* [[Illiberal democracy]]
* [[Liberal autocracy]]
* [[National conservatism]]
* [[Responsibility to protect]] (R2P)
* [[Social conservatism]]
* [[Universal value]]
* [[Westernization]]
* [[White savior]]
{{colend}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
*Loh Kok Wah F. and Khoo B. T. "Democracy in Malaysia: Discourses and Practices" Curzon Press, Richmond Surrey, 2002.
*Subramaniam S. "The Asian Values Debate: Implications for the Spread of Liberal Democracy" ''[[Asian Affairs]]''. March 2000.
*Ankerl G. "Coexisting Contemporary Civilizations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western" INUPRESS, Geneva, 2002 {{ISBN|978-2881550041}}

{{Eastern culture}}

[[Category:Anti-imperialism in Asia]]
[[Category:Asian studies]]
[[Category:Asiacentrism]]
[[Category:Confucian ethics]]
[[Category:Conservatism in Singapore]]
[[Category:Eastern culture]]
[[Category:Political ideologies]]
[[Category:Pan-Asianism]]
[[Category:Social conservatism]]
[[Category:1990s establishments]]
[[Category:Malaysian political slogans]]
[[Category:1990s in politics]]
[[Category:Politics of Singapore]]
[[Category:Politics of Asia]]
[[Category:Mahathir Mohamad]]