Many states in the Asia Pacific region are not built around a single homogenous people, but rather include many large, varied, different national groups. This book explores how states in the region attempt to develop commonality and a nation and the difficulties that arise. It discusses the consequences which ensue when competing narratives clash, and examines the nature of resistance to dominant narratives which arise.

Introduction: Un/settled Narrations: Nationalism in the Asia-Pacific Part 1: Constructing Commonality and the Nation 1. Rethinking the Who, What and When: Why not Singaporean Military Heroes? 2. The Nation and its Murals: A Reading of Malaysian Images, 1957-1969 Part 2: Competing Narratives Clash 3. Between Assimilation and Multiculturalism: Social Resilience and the Governance of Diversity in Singapore 4. (Un)Problematic Multiculturalism: Challenges and Opportunities for Social Cohesion in New Zealand 5. Colonialism, Sinicization and Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong: Social exclusion and barely citizenship 6. Globalization, Multicultural Society and Consensus Politics in S. Korea Part 3: Resisting dominant narratives 7. Managing Conflict in Canberra: National Identity and Narrating Difference 8. Renegotiating Unity and Diversity: Problematic Multiculturalism in Post-Suharto Indonesia