International Relations in the Indo-pacific
Class 1. Introduction: The rise of the indo-pacific and the evolving regional order (27.01.25)
Pitfalls in interpreting regions
Cultural essentialism → the belief that cultures have fixed, inherent traits or behaviours that define them
Critiques:
- Overlooks the dynamic & constructed nature of cultures, reduces complex social and historical
dynamics to stereotypes
- Ignores diversity and hybridity within cultural groups
- Reinforces binaries and can perpetuate exclusion or discrimination
Orientalism → a specific manifestation of cultural essentialism
As defined by said, is a framework through which the west perceives & represents the east as exotic,
backward and inferior. Power dynamics reflects a colonial manifest, reinforcing western dominance by
portraying the east as the other. It relies on oversimplifies and essentialised portrayals of eastern
cultures, reducing them to unchanging stereotypes. This perspective shapes literature, art, academic
discourse, often serving as a justification for imperialism and control over Eastern societies.
Ontology: views on nature of reality – does the world exist out there, independently of what we think of
it? Or is the world “out there” changing as we interact with it and ascribe meanings to it?
1. Realism
a. View on reality: objective & independent, exists outside human perception
b. Nature of truth: objective, universal; truth is absolute & discoverable
c. Key ass: objective reality exists, governed by universal laws
2. Constructivism
a. View on reality: subjective & socially constructed; reality is shaped by human
experiences & interactions
b. Nature of truth: contextual, relative; truth depends on individual or cultural perspectives
c. Key as: knowledge is actively constructed by individuals or communities
=/= as realism & constructivism in international relations
Epistemology: ways of knowing and acquiring knowledge, think abt how you understand “power” in int
rel – can knowledge be objective, universal and value free?
1. (Post)positivism
1
, a. Nature of knowledge: objective, empirical & verifiable; based on facts, measurable data,
and universal truths. Post-positivism accepts that knowledge may be fallible but strives
for objectivity.
b. Approach to reality: external & independent; reality exists outside human perception,
with consistent facts discoverable through observation
c. Recognised that knowledge can be provisional, could develop as a result of shifts etc
2. Interpretivism
a. Nature of knowledge: subjective, contextual & socially constructed; shaped by cultural
and individual contexts with truths varying by perspective.
i. The understand of what state has power differs per person bc everyone
understands the concept differently
b. Approach to reality: subjective & constructed; reality is shaped by experiences and
interactions, understood through the meanings people assign to them
10.03.2025 – lecture 6 is an international online seminar
- Minimum 80% attendance, but we need to keep check of it ourselves
Group presentation:
- Date set on brightspace
- 5 ppl per group
- Analyse & discuss a case study from the recent new reports on the indo-pacific region
- Illustrate the key themes and arguments from the assigned readings of that week
- 1-2 members deliver the presentation but the division of labour should be specific in the siled
- 15% of the final grade
- U need to submit the slides and notes on brightspace
Exam: 11.06.2025
- 85% of the final grade
- Multiple choice, short answers + long essay question
- Slides + readings
The notions of Asia and the Indo-Pacific, region-making process and the evolving regional order
Shifting nomenclature of the region
● Asia, east asia, south asia, asia pacific, info pacific – different names for the same place
2
, ○ Different cultural & political perceptions
○ Socially constructed labels, not fixed categories
● Geographical perspective - regions shaped by enculturation
○ Enculuration: process thru which we adopt cultural norms, value and behavior that we
identify as a part of; regions defined through social actors, not just borders
Region-making
Regions can be shaped from inside (local factors) or outside (external forces)
- Outside-in: europeans origins of asia → how the concept of asia was 1st created by europeans
- Inside-in: Asian Acceptance- How Asians began to adopt the European notion of "Asia."
Indo-pacific in the making: divergent geographical interpretations
Remains to be defined. Its gaining prominence across the world.
Evolving regional order b4 global transformations (1800)
East asia:
● Sino-centric order with a tributary system
● Tianxia (all under heaven) as symbolic concept: contested by korea, japan, vietnam & siam
Southeast asia:
● Mandala system: flexible, organized by overlapping spheres of influence (bigger, smaller etc,
different alliances);
● Smaller kingdoms aligned with larger powers; relationships prioritized over fixed borders
South asia:
● Alternated between attempts by subcontinental empires to unify the region & periods dominated
by smaller, coexisting kingdoms. Competition for influence
Colonization integrated Asian societies into a global political order, forming part of a globalised
international society (except for Thailand, never colonised). Colonized polities lost control over their
territories, leading to territorial reshuffling during post-colonial state-building.
Region-building in response to western domination
● Economic aspect: developmentalism is a response to industrialization and the new world
economic structure in which asia became a peripheral actor; alternative to market-driven
3
, economy, emphasis the state’s role in leading economy, prioritizing economic development over
other
● Political aspect: the post-colonial state is a counterpart of rational state-building.
○ Features of post-colonial states:
■ Often prioritize internal threats to survival as much as external ones, with borders
frequently contested or unclear compared to traditional sovereignty.
■ Their borders rarely align with the clear-cut Westphalian ideal, leading to
ongoing complexities in territorial control (sovereignty exceptions like
autonomous regions, disputed territories or quasi-independent entities).
■ Shaped by mixed influences, including imperial histories, colonization,
post-WWII modernization, and global (neo-)liberal norms.
● Cultural Aspect:
○ Localism or anti-Westernism emphasizes Asia's distinctiveness, blaming Western
influence for political and cultural oppression; Highlight differences between Asian and
Western identities, seeking to reclaim Asia's uniqueness.
○ Asian identity: emerged in late 19th and early 20th century during modernization and
transformation.
○ Pan-Asianism: Intellectual movement emphasizing intra-Asian connections, nationalism,
anti-colonial liberation, and sometimes imperialist or racial commonalities.
Evolving regional order during the WWs and cold war
● Japan’s imperialism & greater east asian co-prosperity sphere: japan aimed to dominate asia
through territorial expansion (korea, manchuko, southeast asia). Imperialism was defeated after
ww2
● Cold war divisions: asia split between us & ussr-aliged states, with internal conflicts between
communists, nationalists, and other factions in china, vietnam & korea
● Pan-asianism: revived through efforts like nehru’s 1947 asian relations conference, followed by
1955 bandung conference & formation of the nonaligned movement in 1961
○ Continued influence in modern times: malaysian pm mohaman championing asian
solidarity; xi’s visions for asia for asians
● Emergent regionalisation and institutionalisation: asean established in 1967 after a few failed
attempts
4
Class 1. Introduction: The rise of the indo-pacific and the evolving regional order (27.01.25)
Pitfalls in interpreting regions
Cultural essentialism → the belief that cultures have fixed, inherent traits or behaviours that define them
Critiques:
- Overlooks the dynamic & constructed nature of cultures, reduces complex social and historical
dynamics to stereotypes
- Ignores diversity and hybridity within cultural groups
- Reinforces binaries and can perpetuate exclusion or discrimination
Orientalism → a specific manifestation of cultural essentialism
As defined by said, is a framework through which the west perceives & represents the east as exotic,
backward and inferior. Power dynamics reflects a colonial manifest, reinforcing western dominance by
portraying the east as the other. It relies on oversimplifies and essentialised portrayals of eastern
cultures, reducing them to unchanging stereotypes. This perspective shapes literature, art, academic
discourse, often serving as a justification for imperialism and control over Eastern societies.
Ontology: views on nature of reality – does the world exist out there, independently of what we think of
it? Or is the world “out there” changing as we interact with it and ascribe meanings to it?
1. Realism
a. View on reality: objective & independent, exists outside human perception
b. Nature of truth: objective, universal; truth is absolute & discoverable
c. Key ass: objective reality exists, governed by universal laws
2. Constructivism
a. View on reality: subjective & socially constructed; reality is shaped by human
experiences & interactions
b. Nature of truth: contextual, relative; truth depends on individual or cultural perspectives
c. Key as: knowledge is actively constructed by individuals or communities
=/= as realism & constructivism in international relations
Epistemology: ways of knowing and acquiring knowledge, think abt how you understand “power” in int
rel – can knowledge be objective, universal and value free?
1. (Post)positivism
1
, a. Nature of knowledge: objective, empirical & verifiable; based on facts, measurable data,
and universal truths. Post-positivism accepts that knowledge may be fallible but strives
for objectivity.
b. Approach to reality: external & independent; reality exists outside human perception,
with consistent facts discoverable through observation
c. Recognised that knowledge can be provisional, could develop as a result of shifts etc
2. Interpretivism
a. Nature of knowledge: subjective, contextual & socially constructed; shaped by cultural
and individual contexts with truths varying by perspective.
i. The understand of what state has power differs per person bc everyone
understands the concept differently
b. Approach to reality: subjective & constructed; reality is shaped by experiences and
interactions, understood through the meanings people assign to them
10.03.2025 – lecture 6 is an international online seminar
- Minimum 80% attendance, but we need to keep check of it ourselves
Group presentation:
- Date set on brightspace
- 5 ppl per group
- Analyse & discuss a case study from the recent new reports on the indo-pacific region
- Illustrate the key themes and arguments from the assigned readings of that week
- 1-2 members deliver the presentation but the division of labour should be specific in the siled
- 15% of the final grade
- U need to submit the slides and notes on brightspace
Exam: 11.06.2025
- 85% of the final grade
- Multiple choice, short answers + long essay question
- Slides + readings
The notions of Asia and the Indo-Pacific, region-making process and the evolving regional order
Shifting nomenclature of the region
● Asia, east asia, south asia, asia pacific, info pacific – different names for the same place
2
, ○ Different cultural & political perceptions
○ Socially constructed labels, not fixed categories
● Geographical perspective - regions shaped by enculturation
○ Enculuration: process thru which we adopt cultural norms, value and behavior that we
identify as a part of; regions defined through social actors, not just borders
Region-making
Regions can be shaped from inside (local factors) or outside (external forces)
- Outside-in: europeans origins of asia → how the concept of asia was 1st created by europeans
- Inside-in: Asian Acceptance- How Asians began to adopt the European notion of "Asia."
Indo-pacific in the making: divergent geographical interpretations
Remains to be defined. Its gaining prominence across the world.
Evolving regional order b4 global transformations (1800)
East asia:
● Sino-centric order with a tributary system
● Tianxia (all under heaven) as symbolic concept: contested by korea, japan, vietnam & siam
Southeast asia:
● Mandala system: flexible, organized by overlapping spheres of influence (bigger, smaller etc,
different alliances);
● Smaller kingdoms aligned with larger powers; relationships prioritized over fixed borders
South asia:
● Alternated between attempts by subcontinental empires to unify the region & periods dominated
by smaller, coexisting kingdoms. Competition for influence
Colonization integrated Asian societies into a global political order, forming part of a globalised
international society (except for Thailand, never colonised). Colonized polities lost control over their
territories, leading to territorial reshuffling during post-colonial state-building.
Region-building in response to western domination
● Economic aspect: developmentalism is a response to industrialization and the new world
economic structure in which asia became a peripheral actor; alternative to market-driven
3
, economy, emphasis the state’s role in leading economy, prioritizing economic development over
other
● Political aspect: the post-colonial state is a counterpart of rational state-building.
○ Features of post-colonial states:
■ Often prioritize internal threats to survival as much as external ones, with borders
frequently contested or unclear compared to traditional sovereignty.
■ Their borders rarely align with the clear-cut Westphalian ideal, leading to
ongoing complexities in territorial control (sovereignty exceptions like
autonomous regions, disputed territories or quasi-independent entities).
■ Shaped by mixed influences, including imperial histories, colonization,
post-WWII modernization, and global (neo-)liberal norms.
● Cultural Aspect:
○ Localism or anti-Westernism emphasizes Asia's distinctiveness, blaming Western
influence for political and cultural oppression; Highlight differences between Asian and
Western identities, seeking to reclaim Asia's uniqueness.
○ Asian identity: emerged in late 19th and early 20th century during modernization and
transformation.
○ Pan-Asianism: Intellectual movement emphasizing intra-Asian connections, nationalism,
anti-colonial liberation, and sometimes imperialist or racial commonalities.
Evolving regional order during the WWs and cold war
● Japan’s imperialism & greater east asian co-prosperity sphere: japan aimed to dominate asia
through territorial expansion (korea, manchuko, southeast asia). Imperialism was defeated after
ww2
● Cold war divisions: asia split between us & ussr-aliged states, with internal conflicts between
communists, nationalists, and other factions in china, vietnam & korea
● Pan-asianism: revived through efforts like nehru’s 1947 asian relations conference, followed by
1955 bandung conference & formation of the nonaligned movement in 1961
○ Continued influence in modern times: malaysian pm mohaman championing asian
solidarity; xi’s visions for asia for asians
● Emergent regionalisation and institutionalisation: asean established in 1967 after a few failed
attempts
4
