Waseda University Doctoral Student Network (WUDSN)
Thematic Panel on the Concept of Regional Identity in
Asian Integration Research
Panel Objective (Presentation abstracts follow)
The concept of identity has recently gained considerable currency in the social sciences.
Within Asia, the concept of an Asian regional identity has been stressed as a component
essential to the process of Asian integration and the formation of an Asian community. Thishas partly been because the commonalities among countries that would be emphasized
through identity construction are also seen as means by which integration can be deepenedand by which a regional community can be built. It has even been suggested that the lack ofan Asian identity is the central problem for the region to solve, a goal that is evidenced by theclear embedding of the future role of identity in some regional institutions. This vision ofidentity as a functional tool of Asian integration requires researchers to both fully
characterize this identity as well as make an account of how it is constructed and represented.
In doing so, it is important to recognize the dynamic existent in Asia when regional andnational perspectives clash. This dynamic exists outside the region as well, as countries
outside Asia grapple with the idea of engaging an integrated Asian region. Thus, it is also
important for researchers to recognize that identity is a question of standpoint; to capture thecomplexity of the Asian region’s identity requires consideration of a multiple number ofstandpoints, including those from outside the region. This forum addresses the necessity todiscern how the concept of an Asian regional identity is being and can be defined internallyand externally. Three presenters will address these issues theoretically and empirically fromstandpoints within, as well as outside, Asia.

Date :

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

Time :

13:00 ~ 15:00

Venue :

Waseda University, Building No.19, Room 309

Discussant :Shigeto Sonoda, Professor of Sociology at theInstitute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo

Presenter 1: Aminuddin Baki
Title: Conceptualization of Collective Identity in South East Asian Integration
Abstract“Identity” has become the one of the popular buzzwords for scholars of social science andInternational Relations (IR) as well as politicians and bureaucrats alike. Integration studieshave also embraced the concept of identity by studying the factors and process of “collectiveidentity” construction. This presentation represents the starting point of Mr. Aminuddin’s
dissertation research on the conceptualization of collective identity in integration. Focusing
on the Southeast Asian region, the study aims to provide an empirical contribution byapplying existing analytical frameworks on identity to the ASEAN example, and to provide atheoretical contribution by testing the explanatory power and limitations of existing
conceptual frameworks of collective identity. This presentation represents a basic literature
review of the various concepts and frameworks of identity available to IR scholars. From theliterature review, Mr. Aminuddin seeks to gauge whether such concepts are sufficient in
explaining collective identity formation for integration between nation-states. Works oncollective identity have largely been developed within the context of nation-building, in otherwords, the formation of national identity. The units being “collected” are the different racial,social and cultural groups within the boundaries of a nation-state. Mr. Aminuddin argues thatfor integration studies where nation-states are the units, we need to expand the concept ofcollective identity and adjust the analytical framework we use. With that in mind, Mr.
Aminuddin introduces a model – the “Border-Unity” model, which essentially emphasizes
two major functions of identity – its differentiating and relational utility (between in-groupand out-group), and its unifying and solidifying utility (for in-group units). An analyticalframework based on these two functions would promote a more focused and better
understanding of collective identity construction, and not render “identity” as a mere
buzzword, lost in ambiguity and taken for granted.

Presenter 2: Akiko Ishioka
Title: The Significance of Cultural Heritage for an East Asian Community: The Case ofUniversity Students at Beijing, Renmin, Fudan, and Shanghai Jiaotong Universities in China
Abstract
In the "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage"
adopted by UNESCO, it is shown that cultural and natural heritage form the identity ofhumanity, crossing national and racial boundaries. Nevertheless, within the discussion
concerning regional integration, debate about cultural heritage protection equates to nothing.
The current study poses the following research question: Is the protection of cultural heritage

a significant aspect of elite university students' conception of an East Asian Community?
Using data from a questionnaire in which no questions were featured with the term culturalheritage, this research proceeded from questions asked about culture, a broader concept towhich the term cultural heritage belongs. From the data analysis, correlations between theimportance of identity construction and the encouragement of cultural exchange, as well as
the desire to increase government expenditures concerning culture, are seen to be inaccordance. Consequently, it might be thought that the construction of an Asian identity canbe facilitated through protection activities of cultural heritage.

Presenter 3: Troy Knudson
Title: Asian Integration’s Low Visibility in the United States Elite Press: External
Reflections and Asian Regional Identity Construction
AbstractThe focus of the analysis in this presentation is the Asian regional identity from an external
standpoint: namely, that of the globalized news media. If external imagery is an importantreflecting tool for reaffirming the internal legitimacy of the concept of an Asian regionalidentity, then major actors within the globalized news media become key sources of data forcharacterizing and accounting for how this identity is being represented. The New York Times
is used here to exemplify how Asian integration is perceived within the United States, which
is one country trying to reconcile the concept of an integrated Asia with its current Asia
policy. Furthermore, the New York Times has a large internet presence and owns theInternational Herald Tribune, which allows its influential reporting to be disseminated tomembers of the elite in countries all over the world. A simple research question was asked: Is
Asian integration being represented in this news outlet’s reporting about the Asian region? Acontent analysis of reporting from the last decade reveals that Asian integration is hardly
visible in New York Times coverage about Asia. Rather, articles tend to portray issues in theregion as relevant to only one country. This precludes any discussion of how this particularsource of globalized news media can help legitimize an Asian identity internally through itsrepresentation of the region. It is recommended that the Asian region pay more attention topromoting the reality of its integration to regions outside of Asia since doing so would only
further its internal goals for constructing a regional identity.