RELIGION AND POLITICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 1
Southeast Asia: Religion and Politics in Recent History
Your Name (First M. Last)
Name of School or Institution
ASIA 101, 2020
Due March 31, 2020
RELIGION AND POLITICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 2
Religio-political forces play an instrumental role in the power dynamics and state affairs
of a region. The influence of religion on political philosophies and intellectual traditions can’t be
denied. For centuries, religious doctrines have molded the political framework of the world in
general and Southeast Asia in particular. As the birthplace of some of the most widely practised
religions(Buddhism, Confucianism, Sikhism, Taoism and Shintoism), ethnic identities continue to
be formed and modified on the basis of these faiths. 1For example, the Japanese believe that
members of the ruling Yamato dynasty descend from the Sun goddess Amaterasu and the
emperor is also referred to as the sun-god. Unlike Europe where religion takes more of a back
seat, the political landscape in Southeast Asia is strongly shaped by religious movements,
attempts of proselytism and resistance to foreign creeds. This has been especially true in the
19th and 20th centuries as the natives engaged in violent battles against their European
colonizers.
Although the role of religion in Asian politics was evident centuries ago, it exerted great
impact during the political uprisings of the last few centuries. During the early 1800s, many
secret societies and religious cults erupted amongst the Chinese village folk. Opium addiction
and moral decline wreaked havoc in the society. At this crucial time, the Manchu rulers of the
Qing Dynasty relied on Learning Schools to preach teachings of Confucius. This was a key
moment when the ruling dynasty was deteriorating and the Manchu gentry tried desperately to
uphold rule of law and breathe some unity into the dying empire. 2 It is interesting to note that
the rebels as well as Manchu bureaucrats both used religion as a stepping stone in their
respective struggles to fight ill treatment and restore peace in the region.
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Religious loyalty not only demands acts of worship from its followers but also instills a disregard
of foreign creeds. This provokes believers of a faith to strongly alienate another religion. It
happened in the early nineteenth century when Ieyasu proscribed Christianity and regulated
the influx of missionary Europeans in mainland Japan. Out of all European nationals, only
French and Dutch tradesmen were permitted to enter the country and they too were confined
to prison-like cells in Nagasaki. This seclusion was ordained to prevent Europeans from
preaching their religious doctrines and keeping Japanese free from divisive and disruptive
religions. Similar measures were taken by Qing Chinese to contain the influence of European
merchants. The latter were allowed to interact with only licensed Chinese traders and restricted
to a prison-like residence. This curtailment of foreign trade was termed as the “Canton System”
and was implemented to prevent the Euopeans from spreading their religion in China. Another
irrelevant reason that motivated these regions was the government’s desire to reap all benefits
of foreign trade and control it like a government enterprise.3
While the popularity of Protestantism in Europe, the Europeans began to see themselves
as individuals responsible for their deeds and subsequent salvation. This faith prompted its
followers to be scientifically innovative and industrially competent. The Catholic Church lost
some of its absolute and un questionable power. These developments fostered new political
ideas such as communism and nationalism. The East Asians, on the other hand, failed to
perceive nationalism as a strength in the early part of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless,
their financial and domestic burdens sometimes made them rebel against the local aristocracy.
One such instance was the Taiping Rebellion also known as the Taiping Civil War. Lasting for
almost a decade and a half, the Confucianist Qing Dynasty fought the Christian Taiping
RELIGION AND POLITICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 4
Heavenly Kingdom. The Taipings were Nationalists politically and Christians religiously. Through
the war, they aimed to convert Chinese to Taiping’s syncretic version of Chrstianity. They also
planned to overthrow the ruling Qing dynasty and gain control of the empire. The peasant
soldiers of the Qing dynasty followed Confucianism and rationalized the uprising as a brave act
against rulers who failed to practice good governance. 4 It was a common belief amongst the
Chinese that they could play the ultimate kingmaker by choosing or upending rulers through
their public revolts. Both the rebels and the Taipings were thus fueled and catalyzed by their
religious inclinations.
In other parts of East Asia such as Indonesia and Burma, the locals revolted against the
European colonists and sought to restore governments by local rulers. These rebels didn’t
match their would-be masters in terms of military warfare and strength but gathered
motivation from the Buddhist doctrines of equality and freedom for all. Such events of
religiously driven struggles took place at the Java War (1825-1830) and the Aceh War(1873-
1900). A Buddhist monk even claimed to be divinely empowered and led the Burmese into the
1930 Saya Sun War against the British invaders. 5 The Europeans finally succeeded in quashing
these resistances by a combination of peacemaking and suppression.
The nineteenth century was a long era of political turmoil and social disorder in China.
Rebellion after rebellion weakened the Qing dynasty which was already breathing its last. At the
turn of the century, the Boxers, called so because of their expertise in Chinese Martial Arts,
revolted against the ruling Qing dynasty as well as the Westerners and Christians. 6The rebellion
was the most spectacular display of anti-colonial sentiments amongst a large population of the
people. Fearful of the Christian missionaries and their disruptive religious and moral teachings,
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the peasants had become increasingly agitated. This frustration and a natural instinct to fight
for their own beliefs led to a full-blown and violent war between the Chinese and the foreigners
in 1899. The war continued well into the next century and entailed massacres of Western
preachers in the North and isolation of European dignitaries in Beijing. This was a bloody war
that failed to show the typical oriental hospitality and protection of its guests. Insteal, the war
thrived on strong religious tensions between the Chinese peasants and the Western
evangelists. Ultimately, the Europeans handled the situation through their extensive
multinational influence and advanced military power. As a decisive moment in China’s history,
this political uprising determined and sealed the dark fate of the Qing Dynasty.
Contrat to the Chinese, the Japanese were quick to advance and reform their methods of
governance. Adopting a Western model, the government sought to progress technologically
and economically in what came to be known as the Meiji Restoration. However, this nation-
state type of government was also met with resistance by the Communist parties such as the
Progressive and Liberal People’s Rights Party(1870s-1880s). The rebels were mostly peasants
and the government suppressed them by implementing peace preservation laws and
propagating the idea that Western Liberalism betrayed Traditional Shinto beliefs. For centuries,
the Japanese believed that their king was a descendant of divine entities and was equivalent to
a God. This notion breathed the life out of Communism in Japan. The age-old Shinto doctrines
played well to subjugate and appease the rebels.7
The power dynamics of Southeast Asia in the twentieth century were impacted by political
uprisings and rebellions. Japan grew in military and economic power while China weakened. In
March 1919, more than a million Koreans participated in protests throughout the country. They
RELIGION AND POLITICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 6
raised their voice against occupation by the Japanese. As a result, the Japanese army poured
troops into Korea. Since this was a violation of the nonintervention accord signed in 1885
between China and Japan, the latter incited the former to wage war. Needless to say, the
modernized Japanese force defeated the more traditional Chinese army. 8 Japanese triumphed
because they had developed and evolved to be competitive fighters in the twentieth century.
They had built national strength while Chinese and Korean administrations felt that their age-
old systems of social and religious institutions didn’t require remodification.
During these times, syncretistic religions were also a popular practice. Examples include
the Cao Dai sect founded in Vietnam and the Muslim Moors of Indonesia. The Cao Dai beliefs
gave hope to poverty-stricken peasants and allowed them to flourish within the bounds of
religion and spirituality.9 This was a relief for the peasantry that were exploited and
manipulated by their European masters. The sect soon gained a huge following and its
followers carried its message far and wide. This serves to be an example of religious conversion
and appropriation of new spiritual practices as a result of political discord and civilian
dissatisfaction in a country.
When the 1919 Paris Peace Conference failed to address the plight of East Asians under
colonial rule, a series of revolts sprung up all over the region and especially in Korea. 10. Over a
million Koreans took to the streets and demonstrated resistance against the Japanese. In other
ares such as China and the subcontinent, Buddhist monks and Muslim scholars preached
nationalist ideas and called for independence from the colonists.
In all walks of life, religion played a significant role and acts as a driving force behind social
ideals and political movements. It dictated the reforms and improvements in political
RELIGION AND POLITICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 7
manifestos. It drew the line between nationalism and individualism. It called its followers to war
and also provided them with spiritual bliss. As a marker of ethnicity, it seeped into the everyday
lives of East Asians and became so strongly ingrained in their subconscious that they were
ready to die in the name of religion.
References
Miller, D.Y. (2007). Modern East Asia: An Introductory History. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd.
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Endnotes
1
From “Modern East Asia: An Introductory History,” by David Y. Miller, 2007, Chapter 1, p. 8. Copyright
2007 by Taylor and Francis Ltd. by Copyright Holder. Reprinted with permission.
2
To learn more about Learning Schools, see page. 28 of Chapter 2(Miller, 2007).
3
For more information on the Canton system, see page. 42 of Miller’s book.
4
See page. 69 of chapter. 4 to read about the influence of Confucianism on peasant protests.
5
See page. 71 (Miller, 2007) to read more about political uprisings against the Westerners in the late
1800s and early 1900s.
6
For details on the Boxer Rebellion, see line 16 of Page 71 in the reading material assigned.
7
To read more about the People’s Rights Movement (1870s-1880s) in Japan, see page 87 of Chapter 5.
8
Page 95 of Miller’s book details the impact of Korean protests on its invasion by Japan in 1919.
9
Go to page. 109 of Chapter 6 to learn how a disruptive political atmosphere led to the formation and
growth of modern religious sects in East Asia.
10
Pages. 108 - 109 shed light on the series of rebellions erupting all across Southeast Asia to fight colonial
rule.
