Papers by Hans-Dieter Evers
The Straits of Malacca, a narrow shipping lane between the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the M... more The Straits of Malacca, a narrow shipping lane between the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, connects the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. The shipping lane is dangerous for large cargo vessels, because it is studded with frequently shifting sand banks and is visited by pirates, criminal gangs hiding in the numerous estuaries on the Sumatran and Malaysian coast.
The Chinese Government has embarked on a new strategy, known as “One Belt, One Road” or OBOR. Thi... more The Chinese Government has embarked on a new strategy, known as “One Belt, One Road” or OBOR. This paper concentrates on the maritime part of this development policy, which entails heavy infrastructure investments in ports and railroads, but also property developments like satellite cities or condominiums, offered for sale mainly to Chinese citizens. There will be obvious commercial benefits to economies along the Southern Silk Road, but also geopolitical effects like increasing political dependency due to Chinese capital investments and acquisition of property rights in ports and condominiums. Regarding these developments, a Malaysian maritime policy is called for to match OBOR and the Indonesian Maritime Fulcrum, as well as ASEAN integration.
Keywords: OBOR; Maritime Policy; Geopolitics; ASEAN Integration
ABSTRAK Sejarah yang sama dan jaringan ekonomi, sosial dan budaya yang semakin padat merupakan ma... more ABSTRAK Sejarah yang sama dan jaringan ekonomi, sosial dan budaya yang semakin padat merupakan mata rantai yang menghubungkan daerah-daerah yang berbatasan di wilayah Selat Melaka. Kerana itu sudah selayaknya untuk berbicara mengenai yang disebut 'Wilayah Selat Melaka' yang ditandai oleh penduduk yang sukunya beragam, peningkatan urbanisasi dan potensi pertumbuhan yang sangat besar. Makalah ini tidak hanya menganalisa potensi pertumbuhan ekonomi, tetapi juga mengacu pada bahaya tersembunyi dari wilayah yang keragamannya tinggi. Sejak berabad-abad lamanya Selat Melaka menghubungkan subkontinen India dengan bahagian timur dan tenggara Asia dan juga menjambatani Eropah. Kini, kebanyakan perdagangan Eropah dengan China dan Jepun dilakukan melalui jalur Selat Melaka. Bahkan, Selat Melaka memainkan peranan strategis yang penting bagi perdagangan dunia dan pembangunan serantau. Negara-negara yang bersempadanan dengan Selat Melaka kaya dengan sumber daya alam. Walau bagaimanapun, wilayah ini juga sarat dengan masalah, misalnya kerosakan akibat tsunami, pencemaran yang berasal dari kegiatan pelayaran dan industri, masalah kemiskinan, migrasi haram antara kawasan di selat dan penipisan sumber alam dan bermacam lagi. Meskipun demikian, potensi pertumbuhan di wilayah ini luar biasa besarnya dan hanya sebahagiannya direalisasikan kini. Walaupun Wilayah ini rentan terhadap kerusuhan sosial, politik dan bencana alam, namun pada masa yang sama wilayah ini juga menyimpan peluang-peluang besar bagi perkembangan ekonomi dan sosial. Kata kunci: Selat Melaka, perkembangan ekonomi, pelayaran, perdagangan, kesukuan, keanekaragaman hayati, perompakan ABSTRACT Sharing the same historical background as well as the increasing density of the socioeconomic and cultural networks are the ties that link the various countries bordering the Melaka Straits. As such it is only appropriate to discuss what is termed as the 'region of the Melaka Straits', that is characterised by a diversity of ethnic and tribal groups, experiencing high rate of urbanisation and a big growth potential. This article not only analyses the region's economic growth potentials, but also the hidden dangers that are within this highly diversified area. For centuries the Melaka Straits had linked the sub continent of India with the East and Southeast Asia and also Europe. Now, most of the trade activities of Europe, China and Japan are conducted via the Melaka Straits. In fact, the Melaka Straits play an important strategic role in terms of world trade and regional development. The countries bordering the Melaka Straits are rich in natural resources. However, this region is also laden with problems, for example destruction caused by tsunami, pollution caused by maritime and industrial activities, poverty, illegal migration between countries within the region, the depletion of the natural resources and many more. Nevertheless, the growth potential for this region is extraordinarily large and only a small portion has been realised. Thus, although this region is vulnerable to various social, economic, political and natural crises, it also holds huge opportunities for social and economic expansion.
The Chinese Government has embarked on a new strategy, known as “One Belt, One Road”
or OBOR. Thi... more The Chinese Government has embarked on a new strategy, known as “One Belt, One Road”
or OBOR. This paper concentrates on the maritime part of this development policy, which
entails heavy infrastructure investments in ports and railroads, but also property
developments like satellite cities or condominiums, offered for sale mainly to Chinese
citizens. There will be obvious commercial benefits to economies along the Southern Silk
Road, but also geo-political effects like increasing political dependency due to Chinese
capital investments and acquisition of property rights in ports and condominiums. Regarding
these developments, a Malaysian maritime policy is called for to match OBOR and the
Indonesian Maritime Fulcrum, as well as ASEAN integration.
Keywords: OBOR; Maritime Policy; Geopolitics; ASEAN Integration
http://www.ukm.my/ikmas/publication-category/ikmas-working-paper-series/
Knowledge has become a decisive and competitive resource for local and global development, especi... more Knowledge has become a decisive and competitive resource for local and global development, especially since the paradigm “knowledge for development” was initiated and promoted by the World Bank in 1998–1999. Through the use of novel management structures and technologically supported social networks, development organisations and development experts are central actors in producing and steering global knowledge. In the various regions of the world development experts have established a powerful transnational epistemic community and play a strategic role in knowledge sharing. In the process of electronic modification, knowledge is moderated, codified and standardised to facilitate distribution and possible acquisition. We will portray the emergence of this particular global knowledge architecture and its modes of knowledge engineering. The article indicates that these new efforts of development cooperation, with their ambitious aim of closing the North–South knowledge gap and the digital divide, reproduce exactly those disparities that they seek to overcome. Strategies conceived with the best of intentions end up creating a knowledge trap. The article will give empirical evidence from South-East and Central Asia as well as from West Africa. We plead for a strategy of diversity in development cooperation and for a new constellation in valuing global and local knowledge in the creation of substantial, strong and dynamic knowledge societies.
Evers, Hans-Dieter. 2016. „Nusantara: Malaysia and the Governance of the South China Sea”. Southe... more Evers, Hans-Dieter. 2016. „Nusantara: Malaysia and the Governance of the South China Sea”. Southeast Asian Social Science Review 1 (1):7-23
Malaysia is a “maritime nation”, but while the governance of urban and rural land is well institu... more Malaysia is a “maritime nation”, but while the governance of urban and rural land is well institutionalized, maritime areas are less well covered. This situation of a “governance void” has led to uncertainty and conflicts and the South China Sea has become a contested maritime space. Contrary to the opinion voiced by many Western commentators, the PRC’s government has not claimed the full territory demarcated by the so-called “red dotted line”, but has claimed an EEZ around islands claimed for historic reasons, following UNCLOS Article 15.
Sociologically speaking the South China Sea is a mediterranean sea and a mediterranean socio-cultural area, or in Malay terms a “Nusantara”. Though there is ample linguistic and archaeological evidence that Austronesian (Malay) seafarers have sailed the South China Sea for centuries, no nautical maps have been discovered in Malay classical texts. Earlier research by the author suggests that Malay and Indonesian seafarers have ample knowledge of rocks, islands and currents in the South China Sea and beyond, but a directory of these names has yet to be assembled, proving Malays utilization of these islands as fishing grounds or shelter. The paper argues that research on the concept of Nusantara or similar concepts would be necessary to establish a Malaysian cultural concept of mediterranean maritime space to assist Malaysia “in the battle of words” for the peaceful and sustainable governance of the South China Sea. Additional research in maritime sociology would be needed to highlight its governance problems and to extend our knowledge on the South China Sea as a cultural area. The Persatuan Sains Sosial Malaysia could and should undertake the task of stimulating research in this direction.
World trade, including a major part of the world's energy resources, has to pass certain 'choke p... more World trade, including a major part of the world's energy resources, has to pass certain 'choke points' between areas of production and their final destination. One of these choke points is the Straits of Malacca, the sea passage connecting the China Sea with the Indian Ocean. As the Straits are only 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) wide at their narrowest point, they form some of the world's significant traffic bottlenecks. The way through the Straits is the shortest sea route from the Horn of Africa and the Persian Golf to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean. 'There is no doubt that the Malacca and the Singapore Straits together form one of the most strategic straits of the world'. But the Malacca Straits are not just a conduit for sea traffic from East to West or West to East. Cross-Straits communication is increasing, integrating the provinces and countries on either side of the Straits. Cross-boundary social networks are ethnically diverse but closely integrated. Thus the Straits' cultural and biodiversity bears great opportunities for the economic and social development of the littoral states of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Peace and stability in the region are a precondition for regional development, uninterrupted energy supplies and international trade between the European Union and East Asia.
Two basic processes were central to the social changes in Yogyakarta; the demise of the Javanese ... more Two basic processes were central to the social changes in Yogyakarta; the demise of the Javanese nobility and the shift from " priyayi " to " pegawai " , i.e. the rather complicated process whereby the traditional courtiers were replaced by or transformed into civil servants employed by the provincial or the central government. In fact the latter process has captured the imagination of several scholars after Selosoemardjans major study " Social Changes in Yogyakarta ". The following basic question was asked: Was the old priyayi elite replaced by modern civil servants of Weberian persuasion or did the new civil servants permute into " neo-priyayi " by taking over the cultural values and behaviour patterns of their predecessors? An intensive social survey in Yogyakarta provided data to answer these questions.
The study aims to understand the social and organizational factors that influence knowledge shari... more The study aims to understand the social and organizational factors that influence knowledge sharing. A model of knowledge management and knowledge sharing was developed inspired by the work of Nahapiet and Ghoshal. Data on KM processes and various social capital measures were collected from a sample of 262 members of a tertiary educational institution in Singapore. Rewards and incentives, open-mindedness, and cost-benefit concerns of knowledge hoarding turned out to be the strongest predictors of knowledge sharing rather than prosocial motives or organizational care. Individuals who are highly competent in their work abilities are less likely to share what they know when they perceive that there are few rewards or when sharing is not recognized by the organization. The findings provide evidence for the importance of social capital as a lubricant of knowledge sharing and engaging performance management systems in knowledge-intensive organizations.
Petty trade has been a major source of additional off-farm employment in Java. The paper is based... more Petty trade has been a major source of additional off-farm employment in Java. The paper is based on intensive field research in Yogyakarta and neighbouring provinces.
Evers, Hans-Dieter, "Trade as Off-Farm Employment in Central Java", SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia 6,1, ISEAS (1991), 1-21
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Papers by Hans-Dieter Evers
Keywords: OBOR; Maritime Policy; Geopolitics; ASEAN Integration
or OBOR. This paper concentrates on the maritime part of this development policy, which
entails heavy infrastructure investments in ports and railroads, but also property
developments like satellite cities or condominiums, offered for sale mainly to Chinese
citizens. There will be obvious commercial benefits to economies along the Southern Silk
Road, but also geo-political effects like increasing political dependency due to Chinese
capital investments and acquisition of property rights in ports and condominiums. Regarding
these developments, a Malaysian maritime policy is called for to match OBOR and the
Indonesian Maritime Fulcrum, as well as ASEAN integration.
Keywords: OBOR; Maritime Policy; Geopolitics; ASEAN Integration
http://www.ukm.my/ikmas/publication-category/ikmas-working-paper-series/
Sociologically speaking the South China Sea is a mediterranean sea and a mediterranean socio-cultural area, or in Malay terms a “Nusantara”. Though there is ample linguistic and archaeological evidence that Austronesian (Malay) seafarers have sailed the South China Sea for centuries, no nautical maps have been discovered in Malay classical texts. Earlier research by the author suggests that Malay and Indonesian seafarers have ample knowledge of rocks, islands and currents in the South China Sea and beyond, but a directory of these names has yet to be assembled, proving Malays utilization of these islands as fishing grounds or shelter. The paper argues that research on the concept of Nusantara or similar concepts would be necessary to establish a Malaysian cultural concept of mediterranean maritime space to assist Malaysia “in the battle of words” for the peaceful and sustainable governance of the South China Sea. Additional research in maritime sociology would be needed to highlight its governance problems and to extend our knowledge on the South China Sea as a cultural area. The Persatuan Sains Sosial Malaysia could and should undertake the task of stimulating research in this direction.
Evers, Hans-Dieter, "Trade as Off-Farm Employment in Central Java", SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia 6,1, ISEAS (1991), 1-21
Keywords: OBOR; Maritime Policy; Geopolitics; ASEAN Integration
or OBOR. This paper concentrates on the maritime part of this development policy, which
entails heavy infrastructure investments in ports and railroads, but also property
developments like satellite cities or condominiums, offered for sale mainly to Chinese
citizens. There will be obvious commercial benefits to economies along the Southern Silk
Road, but also geo-political effects like increasing political dependency due to Chinese
capital investments and acquisition of property rights in ports and condominiums. Regarding
these developments, a Malaysian maritime policy is called for to match OBOR and the
Indonesian Maritime Fulcrum, as well as ASEAN integration.
Keywords: OBOR; Maritime Policy; Geopolitics; ASEAN Integration
http://www.ukm.my/ikmas/publication-category/ikmas-working-paper-series/
Sociologically speaking the South China Sea is a mediterranean sea and a mediterranean socio-cultural area, or in Malay terms a “Nusantara”. Though there is ample linguistic and archaeological evidence that Austronesian (Malay) seafarers have sailed the South China Sea for centuries, no nautical maps have been discovered in Malay classical texts. Earlier research by the author suggests that Malay and Indonesian seafarers have ample knowledge of rocks, islands and currents in the South China Sea and beyond, but a directory of these names has yet to be assembled, proving Malays utilization of these islands as fishing grounds or shelter. The paper argues that research on the concept of Nusantara or similar concepts would be necessary to establish a Malaysian cultural concept of mediterranean maritime space to assist Malaysia “in the battle of words” for the peaceful and sustainable governance of the South China Sea. Additional research in maritime sociology would be needed to highlight its governance problems and to extend our knowledge on the South China Sea as a cultural area. The Persatuan Sains Sosial Malaysia could and should undertake the task of stimulating research in this direction.
Evers, Hans-Dieter, "Trade as Off-Farm Employment in Central Java", SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia 6,1, ISEAS (1991), 1-21
This book analyses why certain ethnic groups have succeeded in monopolizing economic positions and examines what role their social organization, value patterns and religious persuasions have played in fostering their economic success and hindering their assimilation into their host societies. Case studies from Asia are used. Chapter 1 (Evers) introduces the basic theory of the trader's dilemma, arising out of their moral obligation to share proceeds with kinsfolk and the necessity to make profits and accumulate trading capital. Chapter 2 (T.Schiel) differentiates the argument further and explores the use of the traders' dilemma hypothesis under changing historical conditions. Chapter 3 (Schrader) summarizes the basic discussion of trade in the social sciences literature. Chapter 4 (P.Preston) offers a perspective on the political economy of trade, starting with the question of the nature of markets. It identifies and contrasts the neoclassical concept and political economy. Part II uses case studies to discuss and illustrate the topic. Chapter 5 (Evers) is concerned with trade in Javanese peasant society and shows that employment in trade has expanded in recent years, due to an increase in the number of women taking up small-scale trade. Chapter 6 (Evers) is concerned with Javanese peasants who were moved to Eastern Kalimantan and placed in a government transmigration settlement. It explores the question of how trade develops in a relatively isolated subsistence economy. The spice trade of an island off the coast of Aceh, North Sumatra, Indonesia, is the subject of the case study in Chapter 7 (W.Claus), in which the development of an intricate trading network is analysed. Chapter 8 (H.Bucholt) outlines how a relatively isolated hill-tribe in Minahasa, Indonesia, is influenced by the market principle. The second group of chapters discusses the most well-known aspect of petty trade, the fact that traders are members of cultural, ethnic or religious minorities, using Chinese traders, a Himalayan trading community and traders in Sri Lanka to illustrate this point. Part III discusses the traders' dilemma and its implications for the fully integrated market economy. Chapter 15 (R.Korff) explores the paradigm in an urban environment. Chapter 16 (H.Bucholt and U.Mai) focuses on the social phenomenon of the trading foreigner. The final chapter (Evers) takes issue with the question whether or not the expansion of trade and markets automatically leads to political pluralization and to a democratic political system.
The paper will look at the South China Sea from three perspectives. The political science perspective will discuss various events that have happened due to political tensions because of territorial demarcations, fishing rights and access to natural resources. The second approach will take a broad comparative historical view, comparing three “mediterranean seas”. I shall argue that Mediterranean seas share certain properties that give rise to tensions and even armed conflict, but also solutions to its problems. The third perspective uses macro-sociology and cultural anthropology to classify and understand actions of the general population as well as political leaders when they ascertain property rights to mediterranean seas.
This talk examines the very term after which the forum is named. 'Nusantara' is a concept to which different meaning has been attached throughout Southeast Asian history. It made its first noticeable appearance in Javanese texts of the fourteenth century, disappeared for a while and then surfaced again after hundreds of years. The meaning of the term has changed over time. In 1334 Gadjah Mada, the chief minister of the Majapahit Empire, swore an oath that he would conquer a number of kingdoms on the maritime fringes (nusantara) of the Majapahit Empire. The concept Nusantara came again to the fore in the anticolonial struggle, when it captured the imagination of writers, novelists, poets and politicians in Indonesia, but also in British Malaya. The term disappeared as a political concept from public debates, only to resurface again in the 1990s when Nusantara become very popular throughout Southeast Asia with the emergence of a Nusantara youth culture and of a politicised Nusantara Islam. The talk also draws attention to the potential importance of a Nusantara concept for settling disputes in the South China Sea.
The initial attempt to map knowledge clusters was done with the aid of the free software ‘DIVA GIS’. Later on, with access to ArcGIS soft ware, the map quality and visual effects was improved upon. All the maps produced so far have therefore been included in this first atlas which is intended to serve as a reference document not only for similar studies and research but for development planning in Brunei Darussalam. This atlas will therefore serve as a valuable tool for both researchers and government departments. In the general map-making process, three vector layers – roads, rail roads and water areas – are overlaid on the Brunei shape-file which contains administrative boundaries, downloaded from Diva GIS web site. Coordinates of knowledge institutions were imported to the Diva GIS soft-ware from an Excel spread sheet appearing as point symbols on the maps, representing individual institutions. It should however be borne in mind that the mapping process is still continuous and improvements and corrections will further be done to remove current imperfections, in subsequent updates.