A shared history is the most vital component in creating and sustaining a sense of nationhood Critically evaluate this statement

with respect to pre WWII SEA nationalism.

Nationalism is said to be the single most potent, dynamic and emotive element that has altered the political conguration of South East Asia in the 20th century. A sense of nationhood mean that the people of South East Asia see themselves as a unique nation state and are willing to devote themselves to pursue the agenda of this state. The statement indicates that the shared history of the people is the most important factor to create and sustain the sense of nationhood among the people. Although there is truth to the statement, we cannot neglect the similar goals of aims of the people, the similar culture and behaviors of the people and nally, the recognition and identication of themselves as a separate state with territorial borders. This essay will argue that the shared history of the people provide a foundation for nationalism in South East Asia.

The similar culture and behavior of the people contribute to the sense of national identity. This is especially apparent after the establishment of colonial rule. The people began to see their culture as unique and different from the culture of their colonial masters. This is evident in the case of Burmese nationalism. The British colonial rulers abolished the traditional monarchy and administrative system and replaced it with the Indian system. The British also separated religion from the state, greatly affecting the predominantly devout Buddhist population. The British also introduced Western education, replacing traditional monastic education. Burmese began to sponsor Buddhist-oriented schools with western curriculum in response. Hence, the people saw themselves as different from the colonial rulers. They saw their culture and way of life as unique. The fact that the Burmese began to sponsor schools to compete with the British shows that the Burmese believed in preserving their unique culture. Therefore, the cultural factor was able to unite the people together and cause them to have a greater understanding of nationhood.

The aims of the people also create and sustain a sense of nationhood. When the people are united in striving towards a common goal, they begin to see that the themselves united as part of something bigger than themselves, triggering a sense of nationhood. This is evident in the rise of the National Indonesian Party (PNI) in Indonesia in 1927. The aim of the PNI was to achieve Indonesian independence through a consciously nationalist movement, based on the power, resources and structure of the Indonesian society. The people ocked to the PNI as they felt it identied with traditional custom. The PNIs refrain

was one nation - Indonesia, one people - Indonesian, one language - Indonesian. The PNI eventually managed to gain Indonesian independence after WWII. Hence, this shows that when the people are unied under a common aim, they see each other not as strangers, but as members of the same nation. It gives the people a sense that they are working for something bigger than themselves, the something being the nation. Therefore, the unique common aim of the people unies them and creates a sense of nationhood.

The nation is a product of a long and complicated process of historical development, it is the long shared history of the people that creates a foundation that unies them together and allows them to see how their past makes their nation unique. An example is the history of Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia. Indigenous farmers suffered greatly under the Dutch liberal system and the Dutch cultivation system. Local farmers suffered landlessness, poverty and starvation and were abused by merchants and European investors. Hence, this common history of suffering under the Dutch colonial rulers unied the people. The people saw that they were together in their suffering and began to see themselves as a unique people, different from their colonial rulers. As long as they remembered their common past, they would remain united. Without the shared history of the people, they would have little or no similar culture and no common purpose to strive for. Therefore, the common history of oppression under Dutch rule created a foundation for them to perceive themselves as a unique nation.

In conclusion, the shared history of the people is the foundational factor that leads to creating and sustaining a sense of nationhood. Without the shared history, there would be very little in shared culture and no shared purpose to strive for. This is evident in the example of foreign immigrants who felt little belonging to the nations they lived in.