The Myth of Asian Exceptionalism: Response to Bomhoff and Gu
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The Myth of Asian Exceptionalism : Response to Bomhoff and Gu. / Welzel, Christian.
In: Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Vol. 43, No. 7, 10.2012, p. 1039-1054.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The Myth of Asian Exceptionalism
T2 - Response to Bomhoff and Gu
AU - Welzel, Christian
PY - 2012/10
Y1 - 2012/10
N2 - In a series of contributions, Welzel describes modernization as human empowerment: a process that emancipates people from external authority. Human empowerment theory (HET) posits two sequential mechanisms. First, cognitive empowerment through rising levels of education and knowledge leads to motivational empowerment, manifest in rising emancipative values. Second, rising emancipative values nurture mass aspirations for liberal democracy, leading to more effective democratic practices. Using World Values Survey (WVS) data from a dozen Asian societies, Bomhoff and Gu claim that Asia is different because these mechanisms do not work among Asian societies. Against these claims, this response shows that Bomhoff and Gu’s results are inconclusive. Upon proper examination of WVS evidence, their conclusions turn actually into the opposite: The emancipative logic of HET applies to Asia as much as it applies to the “West.”
AB - In a series of contributions, Welzel describes modernization as human empowerment: a process that emancipates people from external authority. Human empowerment theory (HET) posits two sequential mechanisms. First, cognitive empowerment through rising levels of education and knowledge leads to motivational empowerment, manifest in rising emancipative values. Second, rising emancipative values nurture mass aspirations for liberal democracy, leading to more effective democratic practices. Using World Values Survey (WVS) data from a dozen Asian societies, Bomhoff and Gu claim that Asia is different because these mechanisms do not work among Asian societies. Against these claims, this response shows that Bomhoff and Gu’s results are inconclusive. Upon proper examination of WVS evidence, their conclusions turn actually into the opposite: The emancipative logic of HET applies to Asia as much as it applies to the “West.”
KW - Politics
KW - attitudes
KW - beliefs
KW - cultural psychology
KW - developmental
KW - national development
KW - social
KW - values
KW - attitudes
KW - beliefs
KW - cultural psychology
KW - developmental
KW - national development
KW - social
KW - values
KW - Gender and Diversity
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84865784636&origin=inward&txGid=0
U2 - 10.1177/0022022112455458
DO - 10.1177/0022022112455458
M3 - Journal articles
VL - 43
SP - 1039
EP - 1054
JO - Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
JF - Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
SN - 0022-0221
IS - 7
ER -