ABSTRACT
To understand Asia in the manner proposed by Kuan Hsing Chen is to acknowledge impact of colonization, imperialism and Cold War. When he talks of colonialism, he is not only referring to European forms and practices, but also to those of China and Japan within Asia, and some countries within Asia are both 'colonizer and colonized'. He is equally concerned to understand the implications for Asia of decolonization, deimperialization and what he calls 'de-cold war'. Chen talks about the ways in which colonialism, imperialism and the Cold War 'live on' in the national and regional psyche and in knowledge production, even though most countries in Asia regard themselves as independent nation-states. The post-colonial approaches alerts problems of 'translation', asking whether analytical frameworks that have been developed in Europe or North America are suitable for understanding Asia. The author have examined his own national subjectivities and identifications and formed an intellectual alliance across different national locations by attempting 'border-crossing' investigative practice.
