Chinese capitalism: cultures, the Southeast Asian region and economic globalisation

Globalisation is often presumed to be an economically, socially and cultura lly homogenising force. The deterioration of capitalism's major rival in th e early 1990s has paved the way for a truly global economy in which all par ticipants increasingly operate under the general logic of capitalism-that i s, a market-orientated system of production and exchange, private ownership and a flexible labour market predicated upon self-interest. Yet, while the pressures of globalisation are obviously formidable and increasingly felt by all, economic societies remain diverse and have responded to these press ures in unique ways. This article makes its case for the continued diversit y of capitalism by emphasising the unique mode of economic organisation tha t has emerged in Southeast Asia; one rooted in the demands of globalisation as well as in the cultural foundations of the Overseas Chinese. The evolut ion of ethnic-Chinese business networks, which define Southeast Asia's poli tical economy, constitutes a unique reaction to the pressures of globalisat ion and has laid the basis for a distinct articulation of capitalism in the region.