The Crisis of Global Modernity: Asian Traditions and a Sustainable Future PDF
Preview The Crisis of Global Modernity: Asian Traditions and a Sustainable Future
The Crisis of Global Modernity Inthismajornewstudy,PrasenjitDuaraexpandshisinfluentialtheo- retical framework to present circulatory, transnational histories as an alternativetonationalisthistory.Duaraargues thatthepresentdayis defined by the intersection of three global changes: the rise of non- Westernpowers,thecrisisofenvironmentalsustainabilityandtheloss ofauthoritativesourcesofwhatheterms‘transcendence’–theideals, principlesandethicsoncefoundinreligionsorpoliticalideologies.The physicalsalvationoftheworldisbecoming–andmustbecome –the transcendentgoalofourtimes,butthisgoalmusttranscendnational sovereigntyifitistosucceed.Duarasuggeststhataviablefoundation forsustainabilitymightbefoundinthetraditionsofAsia,whichoffer differentwaysofunderstandingtherelationshipbetweenthepersonal, ecologicalanduniversal.Thesetraditionsmustbeunderstoodthrough the ways they have circulated and converged with contemporary developments. prasenjitduaraisRafflesProfessorofHumanities,NationalUniversity ofSingapore,andProfessorEmeritusoftheUniversityofChicago. ASIANCONNECTIONS Serieseditors SunilAmrith,BirkbeckCollege,UniversityofLondon TimHarper,UniversityofCambridge EngsengHo,DukeUniversity AsianConnectionsisamajorseriesofambitiousworksthatlookbeyondthe traditionaltemplatesofarea,regionalornationalstudiestoconsiderthetrans- regionalphenomenawhichhaveconnectedandinfluencedvariouspartsofAsia through time. The series will focus on empirically grounded work exploring circulations, connections, convergences and comparisons within and beyond Asia. Themes of particular interest include transport and communication, mercantilenetworksandtrade,migration,religiousconnections,urbanhistory, environmental history, oceanic history, thespread of language and ideas, and politicalalliances.Theseriesaimstobuildnewwaysofunderstandingfunda- mentalconcepts,suchasmodernity,pluralismorcapitalism,fromtheexperi- enceofAsiansocieties.Itishopedthatthisconceptualframeworkwillfacilitate connectionsacrossfieldsofknowledgeandbridgehistoricalperspectiveswith contemporaryconcerns. The Crisis of Global Modernity Asian Traditions and a Sustainable Future Prasenjit Duara NationalUniversityofSingapore UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge. ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof education,learningandresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence. www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107442856 ©PrasenjitDuara2015 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2015 PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyClays,StIvesplc AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary ISBN978-1-107-08225-0Hardback ISBN978-1-107-44285-6Paperback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication, anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain, accurateorappropriate. “I wonder from where these notes come.” – Kishori Amonkar Gaan Saraswati, Chanteuse extraordinaire Sounding the transcendent across imagination’s frontiers Contents Listoffiguresandmaps pageviii PrefaceandAcknowledgements ix Introduction 1 1 Sustainabilityandthecrisisoftranscendence 18 2 Circulatoryandcompetitivehistories 53 3 Thehistoricallogicsofglobalmodernity 91 4 Dialogicalandradicaltranscendence 119 5 Dialogicaltranscendenceandsecularnationalism intheSinosphere 156 6 Thetrafficbetweensecularismandtranscendence 195 7 Regionsofcirculationandnetworksofsustainability inAsia 239 RepriseandEpilogue:ofreasonandhope 279 Bibliography 289 Index 313 vii Figures and maps Figures 1.1 ChildrensacralizingthelandscapeintheCardamom Forest,Cambodia. page42 1.2 MonksacralizingthelandscapeintheCardamom Forest,Cambodia. 43 2.1 AngelusNovus,paintingbyPaulKlee(1920). 69 2.2 AmericanProgress,paintingbyJohnGast(1872), whichwaswidelydisseminatedasacolorprint. 70 Maps 7.1a DamsontheNu/Salweenriver. 262 7.1b DamsontheLancang/Mekongriver. 263 viii Preface and Acknowledgements For the roughly ten years I have been researching, thinking about and writing this book, I was sure I wanted to call it “Transcendence in a SecularWorld”accompaniedbyasubtitlethatincludedAsiantraditions andsustainability.MyeditorsatCambridgeUniversityPresswiselycoun- seled me to change the title to “The Crisisof Global Modernity.” Since the latter better captures the imperative of the work, I quickly saw the wisdom of their advice. However, in my personal journey, it remains a bookthatseekstounderstandthewellspringsofhumancommitmenttoa largergoodbeyondor‘after’religionandacrossvarioushistoricalcircum- stances. The existence of the so-called altruism gene is a neutral matter becauseepigeneticconditionsmayallowittobeexpressedinmanyways ornotatall.Thus,ifthebookisfirstofallaboutthecrisisofsustainability, itisalsoaboutthecrisisoftranscendenceandthesearchforsourcesand resourcesofselfandcommunalregenerationinhistoricalcultures. A book composed in the later stage of one’s career cannot but also representastock-takingofone’spreviouswritings,recognizinghowideas andmaterialsthatonceseemedtobelongtoadifferentrealmfitintothis. As such it draws on several of my earlier works and also more recently publishedessays.Ineach case, however, the original essay ormaterialis transformed in this study. The database has been empirically expanded and the arguments intellectually developed to contribute to the overall thesesofthisbook. The work was principally written during the last six years at the National University of Singapore (NUS). I want to acknowledge the generosity and kindness of the senior administrators at NUS, especially President Tan Chorh Chuan and Deputy President Barry Halliwell for giving me the freedom and wherewithal to conduct this work. I keenly hope that the wise administrators in Singapore will continue their com- mitmenttothehumanitiesandsocialsciences. One of the most fruitful endeavors that we initiated was the network of reading groups in the Humanities and Social Sciences at NUS. The groups in which I participated metamorphosed over time as our ix
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