Transnational Civil Society in Asia: The Potential of Grassroots Regionalization - Paperback

by Simon Avenell (Editor), Akihiro Ogawa (Editor)

This edited volume addresses how transnational interactions among civil society actors in Asia and its sub-regions are helping to strengthen common democratic values and transform dominant processes of policymaking and corporate capitalism in the region.

The contributors conceive of transnational civil society networks as constructive vehicles for both informing and persuading governments and businesses to adopt, modify, or abandon certain policies or positions. This volume investigates the role of such networks through a range of interdisciplinary approaches, bringing together case studies on Asian transnationalism from South, Southeast, and Northeast Asia across four key themes: local transformations and connections, diaspora politics, cross-regional initiatives and networks, and global actors and influences. Chapters demonstrate how transnational civil society is connecting people in local communities across Asia, in parallel to ongoing tensions between nation-states and civil society. By highlighting the grassroots regionalization emerging from ever-intensifying information exchange between civil society actors across borders - as well as concrete transnational initiatives uniting actors across Asia - the volume advances the intellectual mandate of redefining 'Asia' as a dynamic and interconnected formation.

Transnational Civil Society in Asia will appeal to students and scholars of international relations, politics and Asian studies more broadly.

Author Biography

Simon Avenell is a Professor at the Australian National University. He studies Japanese history, civil society, environmentalism, and transnationalism. He has published in leading journals, including The Journal of Japanese Studies and Environmental History. His most recent book is Transnational Japan in the Global Environmental Movement (2017).

Akihiro Ogawa is Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute. His major research interest is in contemporary Japanese society, focusing on civil society.