Civilizations in embrace: the spread of ideas and the transformation of power : India and Southeast Asia in the classical age

Civilizations in embrace : the spread of ideas and the transformation of power : India and Southeast Asia in the classical age. -- Contents -- Foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- About the Author -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Debating Indian Influence in Southeast Asia -- 3. "Indianization", "Localization" or "Convergence"? -- 4. Understanding How and Why Ideas Spread -- 5. "Hellenization" of the Mediterranean Compared to "Indianization" of Southeast Asia: Two Paradigms of Cultural Diffusion? -- 6. Final Thoughts -- Photo Section -- Bibliography -- Index -- Titles in the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Research Series.

This study revisits one of the most extensive examples of the spread of ideas in the history of civilization: the diffusion of Indian religious and political ideas to Southeast Asia before the advent of Islam and European colonialism. Hindu and Buddhist concepts and symbols of kingship and statecraft helped to legitimize Southeast Asian rulers, and transform the political institutions and authority of Southeast Asia. But the process of this diffusion was not accompanied by imperialism, political hegemony, or "colonization" as conventionally understood. This book investigates different explanat