Abstract
"Beyond the Continental Straitjacket: Flows and Spaces in Asian Studies"
Willem van Schendel
Thailand is at the heart of the Asian continent and it is a hub of inter-Asian connections. But what do we mean when we talk about ‘Asia’ and the networks that crisscross it? These networks develop, fragment and recombine continually. A more systematic understanding of these dynamics is indispensable for the future of Asian studies.
We know much about the vast and long-lived networks that historically drew large parts of Asia together. Such key networks sustained the spread of Buddhism and Islam, the rise of empires, and patterns of mass migration and long-distance trade. Understanding these is imperative for anyone wishing to sketch the broad contours of inter-Asian connectivity today.
But these connections hardly provide a full picture. Attention to large networks and sweeping interconnections should not impede the exploration of finer details and more quirky linkages, not least because the major inter-Asian networks bypassed many parts of Asia. How did and do these parts connect to other regions? I use the example of an Asian society that was barely involved in the sweeping interconnections to argue for a repositioning of the study of Asia that goes beyond simply linking the core concerns of ‘area studies.’