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East Asian Modernities and the Formation of Media and Cultural
Studies
1. Introduction
In the past hundred years East Asia, while being influenced by the West, achieved
modernity in its own way, and has a unique position and role in the world system. Japan
has been in the center, South Korea and Taiwan have been in the semi-periphery, and
China has been on the periphery struggling to capture a new position and role. Entering
into the 21st century Japan has not been able to come out of its long-term depression.
Due to the internally conservative and closed nature of Japanese nationalism, it has not
been able to exercise the political and cultural leadership that commensurate with meets
its the economic size.
On the other hand, ever since it recently became a member of WTO, China has
been emerging as the unique alternative that stand against the U.S. hegemony and,
therefore, all countries have been paying attention to how China will change. The
country is confronting a moment of change: Whether it will build a new empire which
includes a Greater China Economic Bloc which, in turn, includes Southeast Asia,
Taiwan, and the Philippines, as symbolized by “Greater China”; or whether it will play
the role in making a peaceful global order while acting to limit limiting the U.S.
hegemony.
If we take a close look at the map of the inside of East Asia it appears very
difficult to group the countries into one region other than for the reason of geographical
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Convention