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19 - East Asia in world history, 1750–21st century

from Part IV - World regions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2015

By
Mark Selden
Edited by
J. R. McNeill  and
Kenneth Pomeranz
J. R. McNeill
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington DC
Kenneth Pomeranz
Affiliation:
University of Chicago
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Summary

This chapter, giving pride of place to regional over national and local dynamics, frames the resurgence of East Asia as the most dynamic global region of the world economy. It focuses on the distinctive features of East Asian regionalism past and present while deconstructing certain mythologies that have accompanied spiraling growth rates across the region. The chapter explores East Asia, as the most dynamic region of the world economy, but one riven by geopolitical divisions attendant on a resurgent China bent on challenging a US dominated regional order. This world-regional approach concurs with Bruce Cumings's assessment that a country-by-country analysis is misleading because it 'misses, through a fallacy of disaggregation, the fundamental unity and integrity of the regional effort'. From the perspective of Asian regionalism, however, important continuities spanned the 1945 divide. The postwar resurgence of East Asia was preceded by the rapid economic recovery and growth of key nations in the era of national independence, war, and division.

Keywords

fertility declinedepopulationEuropean economistspopulation politicsgeopoliticsglobal political ecologypolitical economy
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge World History , pp. 493 - 525
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2015

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References

Further reading

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