The Challenge of Cultural Diversity in Regional Integration: A Comparative Analysis of the EU and ASEAN

Abstract

With the trend towards globalisation and increasing economic, political and cultural interconnectedness, the need for regional integration has become more pressing. However, cultural differences between member states, including differences in ethnicity, background and values, often pose an obstacle to regional integration. The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are two very important regional organisations, although they both aim to promote regional integration and thereby develop regional economies and provide the region with international competitiveness. However, the different historical backgrounds, economic structures and political formations between the two regions have led to different models and objectives for regional integration, and thus the challenges of cultural diversity are similar as well as different in many ways. With the trend towards globalisation and the prominence of cultural diversity issues in the region, comparing the challenges and opportunities of cultural diversity in the regional integration process between the EU and ASEAN, both regions, helps to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the different models of regional integration and why policies related to cultural diversity need to be tailored, rather than copied, to the local context.