About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of European colonization on the shared history of India and Southeast Asia, featuring insights from Himanshu Prabha Ray's edited volume.

Recentering Southeast Asia: Politics, Religion and Maritime Connections (Routledge, 2026) assesses the impact of European colonization in the late 19th and early 20th century in ‘restructuring’ the shared past of India and Southeast Asia. It provides case studies that transcend colonial constructs and adopt newer approaches to understanding the shared past. The authors explore these developments through the lens of political figures like Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) and re-examine themes such as the Greater India Society (1926–1959) established in Calcutta, and the role of Buddhism in post-World War II connections, as the repatriation of the mortal remains of Japanese soldiers killed in Burma (Myanmar) acquired urgency. Drawing on a diverse range of sources including archaeology, Buddhist texts, the afterlives of the Hindu temples, maritime networks, and inscriptions from Vietnam and central India, the book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of history, Buddhism, archaeology, heritage studies, cultural studies, and political history as well as South and Southeast Asian history. Guest: Himanshu Prabha Ray Interviewer: Natali Pearson Learn more about your ad…

People in this episode

Host: Natali Pearson

Guest: Himanshu Prabha Ray

Topics covered

• Southeast Asia
• European colonization
• politics
• religion
• maritime connections
• Buddhism
• cultural studies

Keywords

• Southeast Asia
• colonization
• Buddhism
• Greater India Society
• maritime networks
• archaeology
• political history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Routledge, Greater India Society

Places: Calcutta, Burma, Myanmar, Vietnam, central India

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