Lee Kuan Yew: The Beliefs Behind the Man

by Michael D. Barr

Overview

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister (from 1959 to1990), has been an international figure not only for establishing Singapore's political and economic stability but also for fostering economic development throughout Asia. He is particularly renowned as a principle architect of the 'Asian values' campaign of the 1990s, which sought to preserve the undemocratic traits of Asian culture while attending to the demands of a capitalist economy operating globally.

A critical examination of Lee's life, career, and ideas, this is the first book to analyze the origins and substance of Lee's political thought. Augmenting established primary sources with his own interviews and correspondence with Lee's old associates, Barr shows how Lee has been influenced by British and Chinese racism and elitism, western progressivism, and even the cultural evolutionism of Arnold Toynbee. This reassessment of Lee's achievements and worldview sheds new light on a key figure on the world stage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780878408160
Publisher:	Georgetown University Press
Publication date:	08/04/2000
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 8.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Michael D. Barr teaches at Queensland University of Technology.

Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionAbbreviationsNote on the Transliteration of Chinese

1. Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew2. Father of the Nation3. The Challenge of Progress: Hope, Fear and Praxis4. Elitism and the Search for Talent5. Cutlural Revolutions: From Malayanisation to 'Sinicisation'6. Culture, Race and Genes7. Beneath Ideology: The 'Essential' Lee Kuan Yew8. Fear and Fortune: Singapore under te Later Lee9. Faith, Conceit and Achievement: An Undestanding of Lee Kuan Yew

Selected Bibliography and Other SourcesIndex

Editorial Reviews

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, was a leading figure in the recent revival of Confucianism throughout the Chinese world and was a main initiator of the "Asian Values" campaign of the 1990s. Barr, a research scholar at Queensland University of Technology, augments a wealth of primary sources with his own interviews and correspondence with Lee Kuan Yew's associates in school, university, and government to present a critical examination of his life, his career, and his ideas. He examines how Lee has been influenced by British and Chinese racism, Western progressivism, English and Chinese elitism, and the cultural evolutionism of Arnold Toynbee. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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