What is Asia?

What even is Asia? How do we define Asia?

When asked to name an Asian country, people often think of East Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea and the understanding of the region often follows mainstream ideals and western views. As we consider the question of what even is Asia, we must take into consideration the exchanges of culture and identity, the impact of imperialism and colonialism, and the movement of people and ideas.

Being the world’s largest continent that spans from the edges of Europe to the Pacific Ocean, it is a region full of diversity that can be obscured by the general term. In the US, our understanding of Asia is often skewed by Western and Euro-centric ideology that places Western narratives over the importance of seeing the nuances and diverse narratives of the Asian continent. Across the region we find diversity in language, geopolitical identity, religion, agriculture, geography, and so much more. Much of these civilizations existed before the advent of history as we define it (presence of writing).

As discussed in the previous post, when examining the discourse around Asian or any area studies, they were initially rooted in a Western dominated space that focused on US imperialism and expansionism. Because of this, Asian movements of liberation, self-determination, and individuality are often made subordinate to a global Western outlook. This results in these histories being removed from the understanding of world history. 

Why does this matter in the goals of this project? 

In wanting to elevate and highlight the place of Asian and Asian-Americans in the US, and Arkansas specifically, we have to understand the histories and cultures that are part of each individual. In this way, we can recognize and move away from reducing Asian and Asian-American communities and individuals into one collective group only. In acknowledging the erasure and removal of diverse narratives in understanding the Asian continent, we can gain insight into the history and misconceptions of the community within the US.

Check out the resources used for this post and more resources to keep learning:

Asia: Human Geography – National Geographic 

The Idea of Asia and Its Ambiguities – Wang Hui

Asian is Not One – Amitav Acharya

Contending Visions of the Middle East: The History and Politics of Orientalism