Not having an indigenous civilisation, but rather a set of evolving cultures, has helped South-east Asian nations be open and inclusive, and given them resilience, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) on Dec 5.
Drawing on insights from a new book by eminent historian Wang Gungwu, Mr Tharman noted that South-east Asia has never comprised a civilisation of its own. Instead, its local and national cultures were shaped by external influences, in particular the four ancient civilisations: Indic, Sinic, Islamic and European-Christian.
Countries in the region did not adopt any one of those civilisations holistically or singularly, but selected elements from these different civilisations and integrated them within their own evolving national cultures, he said. This enabled South-east Asia to selectively modernise, in order to preserve its own evolving set of cultures.
"I would add that this open and inclusive trait that runs through South-east Asia's histories gives the region resilience in today's world and, I'm sure, equally significantly the world of tomorrow." He was speaking at the launch of Living With Civilisations: Reflections On Southeast Asia's Local And National Cultures by Professor Wang, who is IPS' 12th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore.
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin December 06, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin December 06, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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