2008 International Cultural Forum Southeast Asia

Conference convenes in Vietnam to promote European-Asian cultural dialogue

The 2008 International Cultural Forum Southeast Asia is taking place in Vietnam

"For years the Bertelsmann Stiftung has been following social developments in Asia with great interest. The International Cultural Forum series, which I launched in 2001, is meant to help us better comprehend the changes affecting Asia while leading to better understanding between Europeans and Asians," said Liz Mohn, vice-chair of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board, explaining the forum's chosen topic. "There are many important reasons for extending our focus beyond East and South Asia. I'm convinced that Southeast Asia is equally worthy of attention, first, since Europeans are the region's major investors, and are thereby increasing our economic interdependence. Second, Southeast Asia's geo-strategic importance is increasing, in particular through ASEAN, the regional alliance, and its importance as a player within Asia's emerging political and economic structures. Third, in terms of security, the region's conflicts are of major international significance, for Europe as well as others." 

The one-and-a-half-day conference is thus focusing on the risks and opportunities associated with the processes of globalization and cultural change from both the Asian and European perspectives. Home to one-fifth of the globe's 1.2 billion Muslims, Southeast Asia boasts a highly heterogeneous culture. South Asia has been influenced by Indian-Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic elements, and Northeast Asia is often seen as a "Confucian" cultural sphere. In Southeast Asia, cultural and historical influences from both regions comingle, while continental Southeast Asia is more heavily Buddhist and maritime Southeast Asia has been more heavily impacted by Islam and, in the case of the Philippines, Catholicism. Within specific countries, moreover, a range of cultural and religious factors can be found. Ethnically homogenous nations such as Japan and Korea stand in contrast to South and Southeast Asia with their linguistically and religiously more heterogeneous societies.

As a study on culture, identity and conflict in Asia and Southeast Asia that was carried out by the University of Heidelberg on behalf of the Bertelsmann Stiftung and presented at the forum shows, Asia in general and Southeast Asia in particular are prone to cross-border and sub-national conflicts relating to cultural identity. At the same time, the region's nations have considerable potential when it comes to promoting long-term peace among their diverse religious, linguistic and cultural groups. Southeast Asia's conflicts are thus ill-suited for proving Samuel Huntington's famous 1993 thesis regarding the "clash of civilizations," since the region's international tensions are not fueled by competing cultures per se. As the study shows, the political conflicts affecting many Asian and Southeast Asian societies do not reflect religious differences as much as they do other cultural divisions.