New Books in Buddhist Studies Himanshu Prabha Ray ed., "Recentering Southeast Asia: Politics, Religion and Maritime Connections" (Routledge, 2026)
Feb 15, 2026
Himanshu Prabha Ray, archaeologist and maritime historian at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, discusses decolonizing heritage and reviving India’s maritime links with Southeast Asia. Short takes cover colonial reshaping of regional histories, Buddhist and Hindu afterlives of temples, Japan–Southeast Asia religious ties, shipwrecks and coastal networks, and a push for underwater archaeology and crossregional perspectives.
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Colonial Heritage Shapes Historical Memory
- Colonial-era archaeology and heritage practices shaped modern historical consciousness across South and Southeast Asia.
- Himanshu Prabha Ray argues these classifications created monolithic narratives that obscure multi-religious, coastal, and maritime connections.
Integrate Maritime History In Curricula
- Stop treating India and Southeast Asia as fully separate study areas and build maritime-focused curricula.
- Integrate coastal and oceanic history into national history teaching and research programs.
Post-Independence Expertise Declined
- Post-independence diplomacy and institutions neglected Southeast Asian expertise despite earlier scholarly engagement.
- Himanshu Prabha Ray highlights the loss of language skills and material-culture competence after 1947 as a strategic gap.
