Nalanda-Sriwijaya Research Series

Recommended Reading Order

• Civilizations in Embrace

  The Spread of Ideas and the Transformation of Power; India and Southeast Asia in the Classical Age

  • Amitav Acharya

  • 128 pages
  • 5 hours of reading

  Focusing on the diffusion of Indian religious and political ideas to Southeast Asia prior to Islam and European colonialism, the study explores how Hindu and Buddhist concepts shaped local kingship and statecraft. It highlights that this exchange was not driven by imperialism or colonization, contrasting with conventional views on cultural encounters. The book examines various scholarly explanations for this phenomenon, analyzing the motivations behind the spread of these ideas and their significant political and institutional impacts in Southeast Asia.

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• Preserving Cultural Identity Through Education

  The Schools of the Chinese Community in Calcutta, India

  • Xing Zhang

  • 104 pages
  • 4 hours of reading

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  The book delves into the history of Chinese-medium schools established in Calcutta during the early 20th century, highlighting their role in preserving Chinese cultural identity among immigrant families. It explores the community's efforts to provide education for children and the significance of curricula from China. Additionally, it examines internal political dynamics and the effects of the 1962 India-China conflict, which led to the decline of these schools by the 1980s. Through interviews and new sources, this study offers a comprehensive view of a unique cultural community.

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