Introduction

In compiling this volume, we have been preoccupied with two key questions: ‘How has citizenship been constructed in Asian societies negotiating transitions to modern statehood?’ and ‘To what extent have such transitions, and associated citizenship discourses, been shaped by any distinctively “Asian” ideas or conditions?’ Education is implicated in both these questions, having been central to processes of distributing opportunity, constructing orthodox historical narratives and fostering faith in the vaguely defined ideals of ‘modernity’ and ‘progress’ that underpin the nation-building project.