David Jones & Michele Marion 
The Dynamics of Cultural Counterpoint in Asian Studies 

Contributors give contemporary presence to Asian studies through a variety of themes and topics in this multidisciplined and interdisciplinary volume. In an era of globalization, scholars trained in Western traditions increasingly see the need to add materials and perspectives that have been lacking in the past. Accessibly written and void of jargon, this work provides an adaptable entrée to Asia for the integration of topics into courses in the humanities, social sciences, cultural studies, and global studies. Guiding principles, developed at the East-West Center, include noting uncommon differences, the interplay among Asian societies and traditions, the erosion of authenticity and cultural tradition as an Asian phenomenon as well as a Western one, and the possibilities Asian concepts offer for conceiving culture outside Asian contexts. The work ranges from South to Southeast to East Asia. Essays deal with art, aesthetics, popular culture, religion, geopolitical realities, geography, history, and contemporary times.

Table of Content

Acknowledgments



Editor’s Introduction


David Jones and Michele Marion



Introduction


Roger T. Ames, Peter D. Hershock, and Elizabeth Buck



1. Philosophical Issues in Japanese Gardens: In Reality, Literature, and Film


Mara Miller



2. Feeling as Form in Indian Aesthetics


Harriette D. Grissom



3. Images of What Never Was to Suggest What Might Be: Japanese Popular Culture and Japaneseness


Paul E. Dunscomb



4. Korean
P’ansori and the Blues: Art for Communal Healing


Katharine C. Purcell and E. Taylor Atkins



5. Mosques and Muslim Identity along China’s Trade Routes


Lawrence E. Butler



6. Dynamics of Religion and Politics in South Asia


Aslam Syed



7. First Contact: The Earliest Western Views of Daoism in Matteo Ricci’s Journals


Ronnie Littlejohn



8. Considering Asia and Teaching the Daoist Way: Understanding Identity, Community, and Ecology in Connection, Perspective, and Practice


Shudong Chen



9. Cultural Counterpoint and Hidden Assumptions: Confucianism, Feminist Theory, and Revealing the Cultural Complexity of Foot Binding


Xiufen Lu



10. The North Korean Nuclear Weapons Threat, Japanese Reactions, and the Possibility of a Northeast Asian Nuclear Arms Race


George P. Brown



11. Bhutan in the Middle: In Between in the Powers’ Game


Kelly Long



12. The “Sea of Malayu”: An Ocean Perspective on Early Southeast Asian History


Barbara Watson Andaya and Leonard Y. Andaya



About the Authors

Index

About the author

David Jones is Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, National Taiwan University and Professor of Philosophy at Kennesaw State University. His books include
Asian Texts — Asian Contexts: Encounters with Asian Philosophies and Religions (coedited with E. R. Klein), also published by SUNY Press.
Michele Marion is Director of the Center for International Studies at Paradise Valley Community College.