ABSTRACT
Shíba Kōkan’s captivating artistic interpretation of the Asia-Europe ‘conference of civilizations’, introduced in the preceding chapter, reminds us that it is impossible to ignore the long-standing pedigree of the contemporaneous intellectual exchange between Asia and Europe. What, in current parlance, is often termed the ‘people-to-people dimension’ of the EU-Asia dialogue is merely the most recent expression of foundations laid during many centuries of intercontinental exchange (for an overview see Clarke 1997; Niemann 2001). Comprehensive detail is unachievable in a book chapter of this length, when some scholars have devoted the research of their entire working lives to the study of historical, economic and cultural interaction between Asia and Europe (Lach, Lach and Van Kley 1994-1998; Pullapilly and Van Kley 1986). However, a handful of over-arching themes may nevertheless be distilled from this long-standing legacy of intensive intercontinental exchange. These themes appear woven into the very fabric of contemporary AsiaEurope relations. They have become leitmotivs underpinning the EU-Asia relations of the past, the present and the future. I have opted to include some of them in this chapter for a number of reasons: fi rst, they contribute to a store of both individual and collective historical memories in East and West. Second, they continue to mould mutual perceptions of Europe and Asia and constitute regional identities in East and West. Third, they shape cognitive frameworks and learning styles; and, last but not least, they leave important legacies for East-West co-operation in today’s ‘knowledge economies’ (see Chapter 3). Most importantly perhaps, some of the legacies and concerns that have emerged during earlier ages of East-West contact form part of the
considerable ‘intellectual baggage’ of modern Asia-Europe relations. Here we can fi nd the inter-cultural ‘iceberg-issues’; the hidden ingredients of Europe-Asia which remain, more often than not, under the surface of contemporary dialogue, and which – like a real iceberg – can do untold damage if wilfully or accidentally neglected. These cultural and historical premises of Asia-Europe exchange determine many agendas for present and future study, dialogue and curriculum development – especially in inter-disciplinary areas such as Asian and European Studies (see Chapters 5 and 6). It is, therefore, important to try and develop some deeper understanding at the outset of a book about the Asia-Europe intellectual and academic encounter, and of some of the issues that determine the background and future direction of this encounter. In the remainder of this chapter, I have chosen to place a spotlight on fi ve key dimensions of the Asia-Europe conversation, which, in my view, can be identifi ed as key intellectual currents in Asia-Europe relations in general and in Asia-EU co-operation in particular. Many, if not all, of the areas that follow are, of course, inter-connected and are separated here for reasons of clarity only. Moreover, what follows is not a closed, exhaustive list, but rather an open selection of themes and suggestions, chosen here to stimulate further comment, debate and critique. Some of the sub-headings of the four sections that follow take inspiration from some groundbreaking works of scholarship, which I have found inspiring. There is no kind of ‘ranking’ implied here; the current cultural and academic exchange between Europe (the 27 European Union (EU) Member States (MS) in particular) and their Asian interlocutors ought to be understood to be ultimately derived in an equal manner from all of the following pillars, and most likely from many others too.
