Asian Expansions

"Asia as we know it today is the product of a vast range of polity expansions over time. Whether we examine the Guptas, Cholas, Marathas or Mughals in South Asia, the Chinese polities, Nanzhao, the Tibetans, Khitan, Jin, Mongols, Koreans, Japanese or Manchus in East Asia, or the Khmers, Vietnamese, Javanese, Thai, or Burmans in Southeast Asia, aspects of the effects of these expansions are still evident in the region today. However, this fact is not reflected in the longstanding and widely held view that East Asian polities were not interested in expanding their territory. In contrast, this book suggests that East Asian political leaders were indeed concerned with territorial control and expansion, whether for political or strategic advantage, trade purposes, defence needs, agricultural expansion or increased income through taxation. It explores the historical experiences of polity expansion across Asia, specifically in East and Southeast Asia, and reveals how the ways in which Asian polities grew were incredibly diverse in nature. The chapters draw on historical examples to highlight the centrality of the connections between imperial expansion, centralized political structures, and territorial integration to a comprehensive understanding both the past and the present in East Asia. In doing so, they interrogate key ideas such as imperialism and colonialism, and the applicability and relevance of such terminology in Asian contexts, both historical and contemporary"--