ORIGINAL PAPER Comparing ASEAN and the EU’ s implementation of cultural projects: a historical institutionalist analysis Manuel Enverga III 1 Received: 5 February 2017 /Revised: 26 September 2017 /Accepted: 20 October 2017 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2017 Abstract This paper is a comparative case study that examines the different ways that the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) implement cultural projects. It contends that one key difference between the two is that the former emphasizes regional commonality in its activities, while the latter highlights the differences among countries. Applying a historical institutionalist perspective, this paper argues that the disparity between ASEAN and EU cultural projects can be explained by historical differences, which are manifested in ideas that were institution- alized when the two organizations were created. For example, since its establishment after the Second World War, the European bloc has been guided by the vision of creating an ever-closer union, which aligned policy preferences towards deepening integration among Member States. On the other hand, the Southeast Asian bloc has consistently maintained the primacy of state sovereignty and, as such, has favored cultural policies that allowed countries to showcase their respective national cultures. Introduction In December 2009 and April 2010, Myanmar and Malaysia, two members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), showcased their countries’ performing arts at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Art Building) in Indonesia. The former had a program consisting of 13 national dances, which included the Dance of Zawgyi and the Bagan dance of the eleventh to thirteenth centuries (Myanmar Times 2010), while the latter presented traditional and modern dances as well as songs performed by contemporary artists (Murugappan 2010). The two productions were the countries’ contributions to the Best of ASEAN Performing Arts (BOAP) series, a cultural project in which each of the Southeast Asian bloc’ s Member States is given the opportunity to stage a show exhibiting their performing arts. Asia Eur J https://doi.org/10.1007/s10308-017-0493-2 * Manuel Enverga, III menverga@ateneo.edu 1 European Studies Program, Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, 1108 Quezon City, Philippines