The transformation of South East Asian studies in China: Sinocentric and de-Sinocentric paradigms

ABSTRACT

The issue of Sinocentrism has attracted growing scholarly attention in reviews regarding the state of South East Asian Studies in China. However, reports in recent decades have not addressed the ‘Sinocentric paradigm’ in further depth. It remains unclear how this research appears under this paradigm and what paradigmatic changes are happening in the field. To answer these questions, this article examines research published in relevant Chinese journals between 1980 and 2019 and selects thirty-three representative samples for demonstration. I argue that research into the social and cultural interactions between China and South East Asia shows that South East Asian Studies in China are undergoing a significant paradigm transition. The established Sinocentric paradigm present in discourses of the old conception of ‘Chinese colonialism’ and the newer one of ‘Chinese influence’ is increasingly challenged by an emerging de-Sinocentric paradigm. This is particularly visible in the fields of media and communication studies and studies of cross-border ethnicities. The transformation of the landscape of this Chinese scholarship deserves greater attention from academics from both inside and outside China.

KEYWORDS:

• South East Asian studies
• China
• Sinocentrism
• paradigms

Acknowledgement

The paper was first presented at the AMSEAS annual workshop on China’s Presence in Mainland Southeast Asia Today in 2019. I thank Patrick Jory for his invaluable mentoring along the way.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 These journals are listed in the Chinese Social Science Citation Index (CSSCI), a symbol of recognition in China’s academic hierarchy. There are other popular publication destinations for Chinese South East Asian researchers not selected for this study, such as Dongnanya zongheng (Crossroads: Southeast Asian Studies).

2 A breakdown of articles is: ten from Dongnanya yanjiu (Southeast Asian Studies), six from Guangxi minzu daxue xuebao [zhexue shehui kexue ban] (Journal of Guangxi University for Nationalities [Philosophy and Social Science Edition]), five from Sixiang zhanxian (Thinking), three from Nanyang wenti yanjiu (Southeast Asian Affairs), and nine from Shijie minzu (Journal of World Peoples Studies), Xinan bianjiang minzu yanjiu (Studies of Southwestern Frontier Regions and Nationalities), Guangxi minzu yanjiu (Guangxi Ethnic Studies), Shijie zongjiao yanjiu (Studies in World Religions), Yunnan minzu daxue xuebao [zhexue shehui kexue ban] (Journal of Yunnan Minzu University [Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition]). These articles are listed in the references.

3 The original text is in Chinese and all translations are done by the author.

4 See for example articles by David Brewster (2019) and James A. Millward (2019).

5 Liberation refers to the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

6 Shown at the Cairns Art Gallery, Cairns, Australia.