Cultural Crossroads: ASEAN's Journey towards Unity and Diversity

In an increasingly interconnected world, the demands of global cultural engagement compel nations to redefine their cultural identities and roles on the international stage. Subsequently, the resurgence of nativist policies has reignited debates about cultural clashes (Kokkonen and Jonas 2022), exemplified by the eradication of culture in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Similarly, the upcoming European elections and the prevalent nativist discourse within the EU raise concerns about the emerging focus on reestablishing strong national identities, potentially undermining what is considered to be a successful story (Sassatelli 2009) of cultural cooperation within a regional organization (RO). Despite the acknowledgement of a common cultural heritage, ASEAN has only recently introduced explicit cultural integration policies to a similar extent as long-standing organizations such as MERCOSUR and the EU. Based on the prevailing waves of reinterpretation of culture and the increasing fluidity of borders, the regional organization found itself in need of strengthening its efforts in the endeavor to cultivate an ASEAN identity (Alamsyah 2021), not without a formidable challenge. How does the RO aim to transform the reality of economic integration, geopolitical security concerns, and mere geographical proximity into a conscious ASEAN solidarity and a sense of community that transcends ethnic divisions and narrow national interests? This paper aims to scrutinize the cultural cooperation and integration initiatives of ASEAN through analyzing the discourse around culture in the relevant official documents, treaties, and reports, as well as the recent literature on cultural identity, diplomacy, and cooperation in the bloc. The scope is to investigate the extent to which regional cultural policies accommodate the extensive diversity of the region in its most recent ambition of establishing a unified cultural identity.