Religion and Nationalism

Many SE Asians was extremely religious, because religion provided an emotional anchor through easily understood tenets. In the face of hard times, they became a familiar and potent rallying point for many SE Asians. When rallied, many such groups either evolved into political groups devoted to nationalist aims, or became a source of power exploited by nationalist groups themselves. 


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In Burma, the power of Buddhism as a nationalist force is seen in the “Shoe Incident” of 1916 in Burma, in which the Young Men's Buddhist Association (YMBA), a society of Buddhist intellectuals dedicated to Buddhist education and Burman history, successfully rallied many Burmese to protest against what they perceived to be disrespect against the religious beliefs of the Burmese. They managed to garner so much support that the British were forced to back down on the issue and give the Burmese religious authorities the right to decide what proper decorum within temples was.  


In Indonesia, the earliest nationalist and proto-nationalist (pre-nationalist) movements were often religious in nature. For instance, Sarekat Islam, which achieved a peak membership of 2 million in 1919, began as an economic and religious movement whose leadership was eventually replaced by members whose avowed aim was independence. 

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Economic Policies

       One reason why nationalism arose in SEA before WWII was because of economic policies taken by the colonial masters. 

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       The introduction of capitalism into previously self-sufficient economies brought about competition from migrants and instability in the local economies as now they are subjected to the demand and supply mechanism of the world. These resulted in land alienation and indebtedness which led to the formation of nationalist parties to represent their interests. 

       In Indonesia, one of the main reasons why the Sarekat Islam (SI) was set up was to represent the economic interests of locals against the economic dominance of the Chinese and the Dutch. In doing so, it managed to gather together a large following of 360,000 by 1916, merely 3 years after its founding in 1913.

       This case study shows that the Dutch economic policies gave local SE Asians a compelling reason to congregate with such unity and in such large numbers. This paved the way for the formation of more mass-supported political parties in the future and that in turn provided more opportunities for SE Asians to fight for nationalist causes.

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Nasyonalismo sa Asya

Ang Nasyonalismo ay may iba’t ibang kahulugan. Maaari pagmamahal at katapatan sa bayan o bansa gaya ng paghahangad ng pambansang kaunlaran at kasarinlan at pagsasaalang-alang sa kapakanan ng inang bayan. Sa pampulitikang pananaw, ito ay ang kusang pagkilos laban sa anumang banta ng pananakop maging pangkabuhayan, pampulitika at pangkultura.

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            Ang mga mahahalagang salik (factors) ng nasyonalismo ay ang iisang wika, lahi at relihiyon. Ang pagmamahal na ito ng sariling bansa ay hindi lamang Asya nabuo. Ito rin ay nabuo sa Europa at iba pang kontinente. Dahil dito ay nabuo ang mga maraming malalayang bansa sa Europa noong ika-18 at ika-19 dantaon. Ang damdamin din ito ang naging pangunahing dahilan ng Una at Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig noong 1914 1941. Ginamit ng mga ambisyosong pinuno ang Nasyonalismo upang makapagpatayo ng malalaking hukbo at isulong ang hangaring mapatanyag ang sariling bansa. 

            Mas napadali ang paglago ng nasyonalismo sa isang bansa kapag ito ay may iisang wika. Mas mabilis ang komunikasyon kapag ang mga organisador ng pag-aalsa ay nagkakaintindihan. Madali ang pagpapaliwanag ng mga rason ng pag-aalsa, mas nagiging personal ang usapan ng mga tao. 

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            Dahil iisa rin ang lahi, mas madaling ipaintindi ang mithiin ng isang grupo. Mas malakas ang "tayo" na pakiramdam. Dahil sa iisa ang lahi, nariyan ang pakiramdam at pag-iisip na dapat tayong magbayanihan, magtulungan para sa ikakabubuti ng lahat. 

            At siyempre ganun din kapag iisa ang pinaniniwalaan ng mga tao. Mas madali na para sa mga lider ng mga grupo na iparating sa kanilang mga miyembro ang nais nilang sabihin. At pwede rin kasama ang mga taong simbahan sa kanilang grupo.

*excerpts taken Tubalado, Larry B.. (2007). Nasyonalismo sa Asya: Tsina, Vietnam, at Korea, Learning Package No. 22. Makati: FAPE.