Asymmetrical Neighbors: Borderland State Building Between China and Southeast Asia

Departing from existing literature on state building, this book proposes a novel theoretical approach that looks beyond the confines of state borders. Instead of looking at state building as a process determined by domestic factors, such as war preparation, political institutions, and geographic and demographic variables, Asymmetrical Neighbors argues that we should conceptualize state building as an interactive process heavily influenced by a "neighborhood effect." Ultimately, this book tells the story of the success and failure in state and nation building across the common borderland area between China, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Enze Han is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong. His research interests include ethnic politics in China, China's relations with Southeast Asia, and the politics of state formation in the borderland area between China, Myanmar, and Thailand. He is the author of Contestation and Adaptation: The Politics of National Identity in China.