From Diplomacy to Knowledge Partnerships
India’s engagement with Southeast Asia is undergoing a subtle yet significant transformation. While earlier phases were largely shaped by trade, strategic cooperation, and the “Act East” policy, a new dimension is emerging—one that places academic collaboration and civilisational dialogue at the centre of regional engagement. This shift reflects a growing recognition that enduring partnerships cannot be sustained through economic or geopolitical means alone.
At a time when the IndoPacific is increasingly defined not just by strategic competition but also by the contest over knowledge systems and cultural narratives, India’s turn towards academic engagement carries deeper implications. It signals an attempt to reposition itself not merely as a strategic partner, but as a civilisational interlocutor in the region.
Recent developments at Nalanda University exemplify this transition. The inauguration of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, accompanied by a highlevel roundtable involving policymakers, diplomats, and scholars from India and ASEAN, reflects a conscious effort to move beyond transactional engagement. Instead, the focus is on rebuilding intellectual linkages with what may be described as the ‘Indic Belt’—a region historically connected through centuries of exchange, adaptation, and shared cultural evolution.
The Widening Knowledge Gap
The weakening of this shared knowledge system can be traced to multiple historical processes, particularly the decline of long-standing Hindu–Buddhist polities in Java and the wider region, culminating in the fall of the Majapahit Empire (c. 1293–1527 CE). While this period had witnessed a deep synthesis of Indic and local traditions, subsequent political shifts, religious transformations, colonial interventions, and the rise of modern nationstates gradually fragmented this interconnected cultural space.
Over time, shared narratives across the Bay of Bengal were: • localised into national histories • filtered through colonial frameworks • reduced to symbolic references without deeper engagement
As a result, although Indic elements continue to persist in language, ritual, epics, and architecture, the intellectual understanding of these connections has significantly weakened.
Nalanda as a Civilisational Bridge
Historically, Nalanda was not merely an Indian centre of learning but a transregional intellectual hub attracting scholars from across Asia, including Southeast Asia. It functioned within a broader network of knowledge circulation, where regions such as Srivijaya acted as preparatory centres for scholars before their journey to Nalanda.
The contemporary vision of Nalanda draws upon this legacy but extends it into a modern context. Rather than functioning as a conventional area studies centre, recent initiatives indicate a move towards reconstructing deeper civilisational linkages. By integrating history, language, philosophy, and policy studies, such efforts seek to reposition Southeast Asia within a shared intellectual and historical continuum.
From Influence to Internalisation
A key conceptual shift emerging from recent discussions is the need to move beyond terms such as “influence” or “Indianisation,” which often portray Southeast Asia as a passive recipient. In reality, societies across the region actively adopted, adapted, and internalised Indic ideas within their own cultural contexts.
This process may be better understood through what can be termed an “Indic quotient”—the extent to which Indic elements have been embedded in the region’s cultural and intellectual fabric. This is visible in the widespread presence of Sanskrit-derived vocabulary across regional languages, the enduring popularity of epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata in local forms, and architectural traditions seen in Angkor Wat, Borobudur, Prambanan, and My Son.
Crucially, these were not impositions but reinterpretations, giving rise to uniquely Southeast Asian expressions of shared traditions.
Maritime Asia: The Forgotten Connector
Maritime connectivity historically served as the foundation of interaction between India and Southeast Asia. The Indian coastline—from Gujarat to Bengal and from the Konkan to Tamilakam—was deeply embedded in networks of transoceanic exchange.
These networks facilitated not only trade but also the movement of monks and scholars, the circulation of manuscripts, and the transmission of artistic and architectural knowledge. In many ways, the ocean functioned as a ‘civilisational highway’, shaping a shared cultural sphere across the Bay of Bengal and beyond.
Recognising this centrality, recent discussions emphasise the need to reintegrate maritime history into academic discourse—an approach that challenges land-centric narratives and highlights the fluid, interconnected nature of Asian civilisations.
A New Academic Strategy
What distinguishes India’s current approach is its emphasis on tailored academic engagement. Rather than relying solely on diplomacy, there is a growing focus on building long-term intellectual partnerships through language training, interdisciplinary research, and collaborative knowledge production.
Such initiatives reflect an understanding that meaningful engagement requires mutual capacity-building. Strengthening linguistic competence, expanding cultural literacy, and encouraging collaborative research can deepen connections in ways that traditional diplomacy cannot.
Decolonising Knowledge Systems
Another important dimension of this shift is the effort to revisit dominant historical narratives shaped by colonial frameworks. Much of Southeast Asian history has been interpreted through external lenses, often leading to partial or distorted understandings.
Emerging academic collaborations seek to address this by promoting direct engagement with primary sources, encouraging cross-regional scholarship, and developing analytical frameworks rooted in Asian perspectives. Decolonising knowledge, in this sense, is not about rejecting Western scholarship but about restoring balance in how histories are understood and interpreted.
Religion as Living Knowledge
In much of Southeast Asia, religion continues to function as a living system shaping social and ethical life. Studying it solely as a historical phenomenon risks overlooking its contemporary relevance.
Recognising this, current approaches emphasise lived practices, ritual continuity, and philosophical traditions as active components of social life. This perspective allows for a more integrated understanding of the past and present.
Towards a Shared Civilisational Framework
At its core, this evolving approach seeks to reframe Southeast Asia within a broader civilisational continuum—one that acknowledges diversity while recognising shared historical consciousness.
Such a framework does not imply uniformity. Rather, it highlights:
- diversity within unity
- local adaptations of shared traditions
- the coexistence of multiple cultural layers
In doing so, it attempts to reconnect fragmented histories and revive dormant intellectual linkages.
Reconnecting Asia Through Academia
India’s renewed engagement with Southeast Asia marks a significant shift in how foreign policy is conceptualized. By placing education and knowledge at the centre, it moves beyond conventional diplomacy towards a more enduring form of engagement rooted in shared histories and mutual learning.
However, the long-term success of such initiatives will depend on sustained institutional commitment, regional participation, and the ability to translate academic collaboration into broader societal impact.
Recognizing this vision, Nalanda University is not merely an institution of learning but a meeting ground of civilizations—where history, culture, and policy converge to shape a more connected and conscious Asia.
Gautam Kumar Jha, School of Languages, Literature, and Culture Studies, JNU Email: gautamkjha@mail.jnu.ac.in
