Ethnic and Racial Minorities in Asia ― Inclusion or Exclusion?

Ethnic and Racial Minorities in Asia explores the relationship between ethnic minority rights and citizenship in Asia. Occupying a prominent place on the global map of conflict, Asia is one of the most ethnically diverse and racially divided regions in the world. It is also the scene of some of the most contrasting state responses to ethnic and racial conflicts, ranging from violent military repression and coercion on the one hand, to offers of autonomy and other forms of self-rule aimed at granting minorities more equal and inclusive citizenship on the other.

This volume combines conceptual debates about citizenship with case studies of ethnic minorities from across the Asian region, with a particular emphasis on Southeast Asia. The contributing authors question the nature of citizenship in the broader sense of identity, belonging, and the rights and responsibilities of ethnic minorities in relation to sovereign nation-states. They examine a wide range of key issues including minority rights claims, ethnic and racial conflict, citizenship, constructions and representations of identity, post-colonialism and human security.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Michelle Ann Miller is a Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. She previously taught at Deakin University and Charles Darwin University. Michelle is the author of Rebellion and Reform in Indonesia (2009), and has published articles and book chapters on decentralization, minority rights, the politics of Islamic law, urban-rural relations and conflict-related issues.