Emergent identities and state-society interactions: Transformations of national and ethnic identities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore

This dissertation examines the consequences of unique programs of nation-building on the (re)construction of ethnic and national identities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Unlike many current interpretations of nation building that emphasize the role of the state, I utilize a social constructionist framework and offer an alternative explanation focusing on state-society interactions. Close scrutiny to each country's industrialization and development path reveals significant differences in the political economic organization of ethnicity and national identity that mostly lie along the institutional positions of the ethnic Chinese. Grounded in a qualitative comparative historical tradition, this analysis ranges from the period of post-independence to the time just prior to the 1997 Asian financial crisis in each country. Data sources include primary archival and secondary historical sources, ranging from published and unpublished manuscripts to speeches, personal biographies and memoirs of government leaders. This comparative analysis elucidates how specific framed interactions have resulted in certain institutional changes in the socio-political and economic arrangements in each country. Results suggest that redefinitions of ethnicity and national identity are prompted by a reflexive and interactive relationship between state elites, ethnic entrepreneurs, class-based social groups, and civic organizations involving a negotiation of legitimacy.