Memory in the Mekong: Regional Identity, Schools, and Politics in Southeast Asia

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is dedicated to constructing a Southeast Asian regional identity that includes countries along Southeast Asia's Mekong River delta. This edited collection explores the possibilities, perils, and politics of constructing a regional identity, particularly in the context of ASEAN and its partners' goal of developing a sociocultural community by 2025. The book examines issues of shared history, national identity, and schooling in the Mekong region and uses historical memory theoretical tools to understand identity formation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 04 March 2022
Publisher: Teachers' College Press

This edited collection delves into the intricate realm of constructing a regional identity, encompassing the possibilities, perils, and politics involved. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a multinational institution comprising 10 member states, is steadfastly committed to fostering a Southeast Asian regional identity that encompasses countries along Southeast Asia's Mekong River delta, including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar.

Following the successful establishment of an economic community in 2015, where capital and people can freely traverse national borders, ASEAN and its partners are now ambitiously striving to create a fully functional sociocultural community across various sectors by 2025. As part of this visionary endeavor, ASEAN aims to unite over 600 million people through the implementation of national school systems that impart shared histories.

In this critical text, the contributors engage in a rigorous examination of the manifold questions that arise in the wake of this momentous transformation. They explore the contours of an ASEAN identity, assessing whether it is feasible or desirable to forge a common identity among the diverse populations of Southeast Asia. Given the divergent memories of history, how can a regional identity coexist alongside national identity?

Memory in the Mekong takes on these pressing concerns by delving into issues of shared history, national identity, and schooling in a region that often remains overlooked and underrepresented in Western scholarship. Through an in-depth analysis of UNESCO Bangkok's Shared Histories project, the book employs theoretical tools from the field of historical memory to understand the process of identity formation, extending the work on imagined communities. Chapters authored by researchers from across the Mekong region contribute to a comprehensive understanding of this complex and multifaceted topic.

Weight: 432g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780807766378