Ethnic Differences and the State-Minority Relationship in Southeast Asia

Abstract

The human populations of Southeast Asia display great ethnic diversity, as a result both of the complexity of the indigenous populations & of the immigration of Chinese, Indian, & European colonists. This has given rise to a group of plural societies. Since independence, however, many countries in this region have sought to restrict immigration, & to assimilate or expel immigrant groups. Considerable tension exists in the state-minority relationship in most of these countries, & is significantly influenced by geographic factors, including dispersion & irredentism, & by other factors, including language & relative group sizes. Some aspects of these problems are briefly reviewed in a cross-national perspective. W. H. Stoddard.