This volume brings together papers which were presented at a seminar to explore Indo-Thai historical and cultural linkages and the age old relationship between the two countries, its historical contribution to the formation of global Asian Civilisation and consciousness in today's world. The topics discussed include the linkages between Hinduism and Buddhism in Thailand, Trade Contacts between the two countries from ancient time. Artefacts and Heritage sites, The Theory of Mind in early Buddhist Philosophy, The Tai Communities of Northeast India, The Advent of Buddhism and Early Buddhist Kingdom in Central Thailand and the Mahayana Tradition in Thailand, among many others. Contributors include Ravindra Panth, Kishor K. Basa, Phasook Indrawooth, Amara Srisuchat, Satyavrat Shastri and Ravindra Kumar. This is an invaluable volume for scholars of History, Religion and Culture of India and Thailand.

This volume looks at facets of cultural interactions between India and Thailand---two historically significant countries of the South East Asian region. For the first time a comprehensive discussion on historical and contemporary cultural interactions between Indian and Thailand has been attempted in this volume. Asianization has become an important contemporary concept and, in this context, understanding cultural exchange within Asia is an important exercise. The chapters in this volume include contributions from noted scholars based in India and Thailand on different areas of cultural exchange: from religion, to art, artefacts, clothing, music---especially Indian classical music, cuisine, and the contemporary use of shared civilizational tools in the cultural diplomacy of both countries. Written in a lucid and accessible language, the chapters in this insightful volume are of interest to academics and researchers of cultural studies, Asian studies, development studies, modern Asian history, policy makers and general readers.

This book brings into focus India's relations with ASEAN and Thailand in particular. In the 1990s, India revived its relations with Southeast Asia. Yet, in comparison to China, India continued to be a distant neighbour. Hence, India has once again, through its 'Look and Act East' policies become intertwined with its immediate neighbours in the East, especially with Thailand. The objective of the book is to contextualise India's relations and influence in Southeast Asia over a period of nearly two thousand years, through culture and religion. The scope of the book extends beyond bilateral issues to include the multilateral, bringing in issues of trade negotiations under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Indo-Pacific construct. As ASEAN's importance grows in the regional and global landscape, there are ramifications for its relations with its traditional partners. The volatility and suspicion among the major powers, especially USA and China harbour the potential to disunite ASEAN. A rising India seeks a united and strong ASEAN both as a natural partner and in a bid to balance China's growing assertiveness and deep pockets. Based on interviews conducted with experts , diplomats and scholars in the field, this book encompasses a wide range of aspects that pertain to the historical, cultural, economic and strategic international relations of ASEAN and Thailand with India.

Traces the story of India's expansion that is woven into the culture of Southeast Asia.

"Within this book, readers will find insightful theoretical analyses and detailed micro-level studies that broaden our understanding of pressing contemporary issues through an anthropological lens. Each paper within the book contextualizes its findings within the larger societal framework, providing a comprehensive view of the situations being examined. This book's particular strength lies in its emphasis on decolonizing anthropological knowledge, exploring the nuances of stigma from an anthropological perspective, highlighting the significance of religion as an ethnic marker, exploring the problems and prospects of writing indigenous ethnohistory of tribes and indigenous people, illuminating food culture through an anthropological lens, examining borderland markets, and exploring the connection of biology and society within the realm of health issues."

Politics of Soft Power Diplomacy and its Reponses is the outcome of Seminar Series at Mt Everest College, Senapati (Manipur) for the past more than half dozen decade of continual effort, sustained by loving promotion and encouragement received from reputed ICSSR and UGC in granting Seminar grant to me as convener of this series. The book covers wide ranges of inclusion and exclusion in accessing mainstream projects and government programmes which are dealt and discussed here by different contributors of papers from various academic disciplines. It is felt that Soft Power Diplomacy is very instrumental in shaping the image of a country abroad. Joseph Nye coined the term and domestic policies are as important as foreign polices. Classical Realists too have informed consent on the similar understanding of domestic domain having ramification on foreign policies for a country. The author/editor of this book feels that the work will contribute in its bit to researches and analyses and expected that the gap in formulating the issues pertaining to the marginalized and suppressed groups in policy formulation and implementation can be further carried in future. I always said that soft corner given to minorities and dominated section in any given group/society is pre-requisite to development of the country. If in a given country, only the the majority rules, then that country would never be called a pluralistic and cosmopolitan approach in its shape of designing the structure of its government and governance. Besides, the author/editor also has no doubt that such studies as this will be of special interest to academicians, policy makers, policy implementers, legal practitioners, politicians, activists, students, and public at large. As issues discussed here are all Soft Power Diplomacy domain that pertain to flexible and diversified components that are most required to address the grievances of the discriminated and dominated lots in the society.

This volume cross-examines the stability of heritage as a concept. It interrogates the past which materialises through multi-layered narratives on monuments and other objects that sustain cultural diversity. It seeks to understand how interpretations of “monuments” as “texts” are affected at the local level of experience, even as institutions such as UNESCO work to globalise and fix constructs of stable and universal heritage. Shifting away from a largely Eurocentric concept associated with architecture and monumental archaeology, this book reassesses how local and regional heritage needs to be balanced with the global and transnational. It argues that material objects and monuments are not static embodiments of culture but are, rather, a medium through which identity, power and society are produced and reproduced. This is especially relevant in South and Southeast Asian contexts, where debates over heritage often have local, regional and national political implications and consequences. Reevaluating how traditional valuation of monuments and cultural landscapes could help aid sustainability and long-term preservation of the heritage, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of South and Southeast Asian history, heritage studies, archaeology, cultural studies, tourism studies and political history as well.