ASEAN: Cultural Diversity Hugh Fox III, Ph.D. foxhugh@yahoo.

com 1:30-2:30 pm, March 30, 2012, ASEAN Study Camp, Burapha International College http://foxhugh.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/asean-cultural-diverstiy/ ASEAN Cultural Heritage Site Quiz Write Down the Tourist Site Next to the Nations name! 1) Brunei Darussalam 6) Myanmar 2) Cambodia 7) Philippines 3) Indonesia 8) Singapore 4) Laos 9) Thailand 5) Malaysia 10) Vietnam 11) What are the three doors? 12) When was ASEAN founded? 13) How many member states? 14) What can young people do? 15) What does the ASEAN logo symbolize? 1.0) ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI) 1.1) Cultural Industry 1.2) Sustain Cultural Heritage 1.3) Cultural Tourism 1.4) Diffusion of cultural knowledge about ASEAN within ASEAN via media and education 2.0) The Challenge of Ethnic Diversity 2.1) SE Asia has more ethnic groups than any other part of the world 2.2) National borders were created during the colonial period without regard to ethnic groups 2.3) Thus, many ethnic groups exist in more than one ASEAN nation 3.0) The Challenge of Linguistic Diversity 3.1) There is a huge level of linguistic diversity within all ASEAN nations 3.2) Thus, there is an agreed upon need for upgrading English instruction so English can act as a common ASEAN language. 3.3) There is a need for language experts that know the languages of other ASEAN countries in addition to English. 4.0) The Challenge of Religious Diversity 4.1) ASEAN has a tremendous level of religious diversity. 4.2) The global rise of radical Islam will pose a challenge to ASEAN security.

5.0) Cultural Diversity in ASEAN: A Nation by Nation Analysis 5.1) Singapore may be a model for SE Asian multiculturalism. 5.2) Myanmar has serious ethnic problems.

6.0) ASEAN Multiculturalism vs. European Union (EU) and the United States 6.1) The European Union rose out of the destruction of WW II in order to prevent another great European Conflict. Cultural diversity is not as great in the EU as in SE Asia. A common European cultural identity existed before the creation of the EU. Exclusion of Turkey from the EU is largely on cultural rather than economic grounds. Issues of cultural industry and cultural tourism are important but not as important as in ASEAN. 6.2) Multiculturalism in the United States arose out of the Civil Right Movement of the 1960s. Almost no emphasis on cultural industry and cultural tourism. Minority culture is diffused via education for conflict resolution not economic reasons. 6.3) ASEAN puts a greater emphasis on cultural industry and cultural tourism than the EU and the United States. Quiz Answers 1) Brunei Darussalam - Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque 2) Cambodia Angkor Wat 3) Indonesia - Yogyakarta 4) Laos Luang Prabang Temple 5) Malaysia - Petronas Twin Towers 11) What are the three doors? Peace, prosperity, people 12) When was ASEAN founded? 1967 13) How many member states? Ten 14) What can young people do? Make ASEAN friends, learn ASEAN language, learn ASEAN regional history, and be proud of their identity as an ASEAN citizen. 15) The New ASEAN logo represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN. The colors of the emblem -- blue, red, white and yellow -- represent the main colors of the crests of all the ASEAN countries. The blue represents peace and stability. Red depicts courage and dynamism. White shows purity and yellow symbolizes prosperity. The ten rice stalks represent the dream of ASEAN's Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the ten countries in Southeast Asia bound together in friendship and solidarity. The circle represents the unity of ASEAN. 6) Myanmar - Shwedagon Pagoda 7) Philippines Manila Cathedral 8) Singapore - Merlion 9) Thailand Jade Buddha Temple 10) Vietnam Halong Bay