Theorizing Economic Geographies of Asia

The economic geographies of Asia are highly fascinating, not least because Asia has increasingly emerged as a significant economic player in all three spheres of global competition: production, consumption, and circulation. This dynamic mosaic of economic landscapes in Asia is further complicated during and after the recent 1997/1998 economic crisis. While some aspects of these economic geographies of Asia have already received research attention, many complex economic-geographical processes in Asia have been undertheorized in the literature. This agenda-setting paper makes two critical observations. First, the theorization of dynamic economic changes in Asia needs to be more critical in adopting economic-geographical theories developed elsewhere in the Anglo-American context. The “Asian” case may pose as a significant challenge to existing theories in economic geography. Second, certain geographical processes in Asia may require fundamentally new approach to theorization that potentially can contribute to broader theory development in economic geography. The economic dynamism of Asia may provide a very useful site for theory development and empirical understanding in contemporary economic geography. To support our arguments and observations, we discuss the situatedness of economic geography theories and offer some constructive suggestions for an intellectual agenda towards new theories in economic geography.