Asian Co-operatives

Within Asia there are many ancient forms of co-operative endeavour, for example, those associated with the planting and harvesting of rice. Formalized co-operative endeavours began to appear during the nineteenth century, largely because of efforts to engage in the developing market economy. Some of the European imperial powers active in the region also fostered the growth of co-operatives as the century drew to a close and during the twentieth century. After World War Two, co-operatives were featured in many reconstruction and independence movements, for example in India, Japan, and Sri Lanka. Similarly in South Korea, after the Korean War, co-operatives were central institutions in the national reconstruction.

Today, many of the most dynamic and exciting co-operative movements in the world are to be found in Asia. This web page is intended as an introduction to those movements, past and present. It is developed with the North American audience in mind. As BCICS resources permit, we will develop brief descriptions of Asian movements as well as papers on those movements as they are available. We will also provide links to key sites in the Asia movements. A very useful overview of the region's movements today can be found in the web site of the Regional Office of the International Co-operative Alliance (http://www.icaroap.coop).