Asia’s minorities

Abstract

Devoting an edition to minorities in Asia can appear a Sisyphean task. Discussion of the status of minority groups and government policies toward them is frequently politicised by history, memory, war, border politics, and broken promises. This snapshot of the status of ethnic and religious minority groups in the region highlights evolving policy frameworks and signs of progress in extending equal rights and protections to all citizens. Progress in protecting minority rights varies greatly across the region. Some countries are going backwards. As Ihsan Ali-Fauzi and Ben Hillman observe, despite Indonesia’s reputation as a tolerant and moderate Muslim majority nation, the persecution of religious minorities has increased. In other countries, territorially concentrated minorities still struggle against the perceived injustices of majority rule. Patricio N. Abinales explains why, in the Philippines, a misreading of history continues to obstruct a peace deal with the Moro of Mindanao. The question of Tibet is similarly fraught with competing versions of history and national identities. Robert Barnett suggests how clearer problem analysis could point the way to a resolution. Eun Jeong Soh outlines the difficulties for minorities in the Korean peninsula, where ethnic nationalism is hardening and ideas of multiculturalism have failed to take root. Nicholas Farrelly shows that democratisation in Myanmar has not dislodged notions of a single centralised union, where minority claims to self-determination and autonomy are vigorously rejected and forcibly kept in check. Sebastien Carrier reminds us that not all minority concerns are political. Among the Hmong in China, for example, there are concerns for the protection of cultural rights, which are promised under the law but inconsistently delivered in practice. James Leibold adds to the discussion on China’s ethnic minority policies, arguing that efforts to engineer ‘ethnic harmony’ have served to exacerbate ethnic tensions. Tessa Morris-Suzuki highlights Japan’s progress in coming to terms with cultural diversity, but notes that policy frameworks have to evolve to ensure equal rights for minorities such as the Ainu, ethnic Koreans and more recent immigrants. The Asian Review section provides reflections on key political developments in the region—including Alok Sheel on Modi’s economic policy, Ilan Alon and Tom Lairson on Sino-Russian relations, Jacqui Baker on Jokowi’s problems in Indonesia, and Ben Ascione on the impact of Japan’s right wing on security policy. Show more