A Short Introduction: Asia in Europe and Australia

I grew up in the middle of Europe, a place where people are generally not very knowledgeable about Asia. There are exceptions. The French and British have some knowledge about their former colonies and usually at least can point out some Asian countries on a map. They are also somewhat familiar with Asian cuisine (think curries in Britain), share rivalries in sport (England and its former colonies in cricket) and perhaps even know someone from Asia personally. Such direct personal connections however do remain rarities and the general knowledge about Asia but also the interest in Asia is limited.

More recently however, Europeans have increasingly started to notice Asia. Whereas countries like Japan and China have become somewhat fashionable to a broader middle and upper class, many Europeans at the same time also fear the surging economies of Asia.

Attitudes towards Asia however have not changed greatly changed since the very beginnings of European relations with Asia. Asia has always been, and still is “the other” and the exotic in the distant East. This is very much the view from a continent, which has dominated the world economically and also culturally for many centuries; or at least would like to think that it has.

It is out of this perception of dominance and superiority that an attitude of ignorance, nonchalance and exoticisation has managed to take a hold and persist until today.

Whereas most Europeans have largely managed to remain distant to an “exotic” Asia, I have become increasingly interested in Asia the last few years. Living in New Zealand gave me a first taste of Asia, as I made numerous of friends and acquaintances from various Asian countries during these years. I have also been living with Korean people for the best part of the last five years. I have travelled extensively across Asia and in the last two years, I have lived in Bangkok, the bustling capital of Thailand and perhaps one of the most exciting urban places on earth.

It is from this background, and also from reading countless articles, blog entries and from talking to friends and acquaintances where I take my perhaps still limited but growing knowledge and fascination for Asia.

Recently, I have decided to start my professional career in Australia, probably the closest one can live to Asia without actually being in Asia. As far as I can tell so far, Australia offers a totally different experience to Europe in terms of the presence and influence of Asia. Most Australians roughly know about Asia’s geography, they are far more acquainted with Asian food, which is found on every street corner. Many Australians have travelled to – or at least through Asia and a high number of Australians interact regularly with Asian people.

Factors, which have contributed strongly to an “Asianisation” of Australia, are the geographic proximity, political, economic and societal pressures in the different Asian countries, the prevalence of the English language (thus attracting a large number of foreign students and their families) and the relative openness of the Australian society to new arrivals from Asia (this being a more recent phenomenon).

The reality of a strong Asian physical presence in Australia, especially in the large cities, coupled with strong economic and political ties has led to not only a general realisation of the importance of Asia for Australians but also to increased interactions and the integration of a certain “Asian Lifestyle” into the everyday life of many Australians.

The content of this blog will involve my personal observations of “Asia in Australia”. It will discuss everyday experiences, which in a way involve Asia in Australia. As with every blog however, planning the content at the beginning of a blog is not easy. Experienced bloggers know that frequently, blogs can take surprising turns and evolve into something surprising and unintended.

Therefore, let us now get started and find out about Asia in Australia.