Research On The Development Concept Of East Asia

Modernization is the theme of world development. The developed countries are rethinking and improving it while developing countries are starting and moving it forward. All of these countries are looking for a best way which will lead the developing countries to modernization. The academic circles is paying close attention to the research of modernization. The theory of modernization is an important one in humanities and social science, and so is the history studies. The research on modernization of east Asia becomes the focus: on one hand, modernization is not successful in most of the developing countries; on the other hand the economy has kept growing steadily since 1970's in some east Asian countries(Japan's economy has kept growing since the middle of 1950's). None of the research has ignored east Asia, no matter it is the Classical modernization theory and Neoliberalism which argue that the east should follow the western world, the neo-or anti-modernization theory which doesn't think that the east would follow the west, the post-modernism and post-modernization theory which look back on the past to improve modernization, the World System Theory which strongly criticizes the capitalism and considers it at an end, or the Attachment theory which is centered on Latin American studies and calls the development of the developing countries to detach from the capitalism market. The research on east Asia is an object or a reference in the comparative research, or even the target in directive research. This theory is called the modernization theory of east Asia, or the developing concept of east Asia. It can be an independent research perspective.The developing of the modernization theory and the developing concept of east Asia are the same after World War II because the developing concept of east Asia is an important part of the modernization theory. It can be divided into three stages: the first stage is from 1950's to 1960's. In this period, classical modernization theory was the dominant one. Almost all experts on modernization thought that there was onlyone way for the development of east Asia------Americanism. Developing countriesshould comply with the U.S.A. as a model. The discussion was about the technical issues in carrying it out rather than the developing strategies. The way of development in western world is reasonable, important and universal, but it is also historical, social and cultural. As a model, it has a lot of problems. But why do the experts praise it sohighly? First, because only America achieved modernization in the western world. Second, because developing countries are yearning for abundance of materials. And it seemed that the western way brings about modernization. Third, because western world, especially America tries to channel the developing countries into capitalism in order to expand the power with which to compete with communism. The third one is based on strategy, while the first two are more essential, otherwise it would be difficult to explain the changes of modernization theory after 1970's.The second stage is from 1970's to 1980's. Experts are rethinking the classical modernization theory because they are not satisfied with the progress in developing countries and the long recession (the so-called stagflation) appeared in America. In Asia, starting from Japan, the economy kept growing but it did not follow the classical modernization theory as a guiding ideology. So, the New-modernization theory began to examine the modernization achievements in the past 20 years and question the Classical Modernization theory so as to construct a new theory. Experts begin to go deeply into the complicated conditions and specific model of modernization in east Asia. Experts on new modernization theory thought that there was a different concept of modernization in East Asia. It is different from "the Asian capitalism", "the Asian model" or "the east Asian model". The theory of Multiple Modernities is supported by the modernization practices in East Asia.The third stage starts from 1990's.The violent ch...