WAP South and Southeast Asia (1200–1450)Overview

AP World History Study Guide: South and Southeast Asia (1200–1450)

Overview

• Regions:

  • South Asia: Indian subcontinent.

  • Southeast Asia: Modern-day Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam.

• Focus: Unlike East Asia and Dar al-Islam, which emphasize state-building, this period in South and Southeast Asia centers on the spread and influence of three major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam—and their impact on culture and society.

• Key Theme: Religious diffusion shapes states and societies, with less emphasis on large empire formation.

Spread of Hinduism

• Nature: Ethnic religion, typically tied to India, but spreads to Southeast Asia (e.g., Funan and Khmer, modern-day Vietnam and Cambodia).

• Mechanism of Spread:

  • Hindu merchants or migrants married into ruling classes in Southeast Asia.

  • Wives converted to Hinduism, raising Hindu children who became rulers, leading to state adoption of Hinduism.

• Syncretism:

  • Southeast Asia was historically animistic (worshiping nature). Hinduism blended with animistic practices, emphasizing deities like Shiva (god of destruction and fertility), aligning with fertility-focused animism.

  • Caste System: Not widely adopted in Southeast Asia due to small populations and egalitarian tendencies (more gender equality and less class division in smaller societies).

• Monumental Architecture:

  • Angkor Thom (Khmer Empire): Capital city with bas-reliefs of Shiva and the Hindu epic Ramayana, tying kingship to Hinduism.

  • Angkor Wat: Hindu temple reflecting Mount Meru’s five peaks (Shiva’s origin). Later converted to a Buddhist temple with added Buddhist imagery, retaining Hindu elements, indicating minimal conflict between religions.

• Significance: Hinduism’s spread reinforced cultural ties with India through trade and architecture, but adapted to local animistic traditions.

Spread of Buddhism

• Nature: Universalizing religion, declining in India but spreading to Southeast Asia.

• Reasons for Decline in India:

  • Increased asceticism (strict focus on meditation and renouncing luxuries) deterred converts.

  • India’s regional kingdom structure favored Hinduism, which aligned with the caste system and provided social order, reducing Buddhism’s influence.

• Spread to Southeast Asia:

  • Srivijaya Empire (modern-day Indonesia, Strait of Malacca):

    • Buddhism spread via Buddhist pilgrims traveling by sea to Indian holy sites, passing through the Strait of Malacca.

    • Kings converted to Buddhism, declaring themselves Buddha bodhisattvas (Buddhist teachers), making Buddhism the state religion.

    • Blended with animistic practices, e.g., emperors donated gold to Buddhist temples and threw gold bars into the sea to honor the ocean, reflecting wealth and animism.

• Economic Significance:

  • Strait of Malacca: A trade choke point where Srivijaya’s navy taxed passing ships, generating wealth.

  • Traded valuable goods like ivory, tin, camphor, feathers, shells, skins, and sugar, enhancing diets and trade networks.

• Outcome: Buddhism’s communal focus (less ascetic than in India) and syncretism with animism made it popular, but Srivijaya’s wealth attracted Muslim conquerors, leading to its decline.

Spread of Islam

• Nature: Universalizing, proselytizing religion spreading via trade and conquest.

• In Southeast Asia:

  • Spread by Muslim merchants and Sufi missionaries, who blended Islam with local animistic practices (e.g., in the Khmer Empire), promoting tolerance and syncretism.

  • Muslim conquest eventually overtook Buddhist states like Srivijaya.

• In South Asia (India):

  • Diasporic Merchant Communities: Muslim merchants settled in southern India, integrated into the caste system via jati (subcastes) within the merchant caste, maintaining tolerance.

  • Sufi Missionaries: Promoted voluntary conversions, especially among lower castes and women seeking religious equality, though social equality was limited due to entrenched patriarchy and lack of education for lower castes.

  • Delhi Sultanate (1206, North India):

    • Islamic centralized state advocating Hindu conversion, leading to conflict (temple destruction, violence).

    • Hinduism (polytheistic, hierarchical) clashed with Islam (monotheistic, religiously egalitarian), reducing conversions.

    • To reduce conflict:

      • Applied jizya tax (originally for Christians/Jews) to Hindus, ensuring economic contribution to the empire.

      • Incorporated Hindu princes (rajas) into the government to leverage the Hindu majority, fostering stability.

    • Resulted in cultural diffusion:

      • Islamic influences: Hindu adoption of Islamic art, architecture, and education.

      • Hindu influences: Muslim leaders adopted Indian dress and food.

    • Example: Qutub Minar, a Hindu-style tower with Islamic minaret features for prayer calls.

• Vijayanagara Empire:

  • Founded by two brothers sent by the Delhi Sultanate to expand its influence but who established a Hindu empire in central India.

  • Reinforced Hindu principles (caste system, dharma) to counter the Delhi Sultanate’s perceived disruption of Hindu social order.

  • Argued that the Delhi Sultanate’s encouragement of job mobility (e.g., trade) violated dharma, causing conflict and natural disasters.

• Significance: Islam’s spread led to periods of conflict and peace, with syncretism and cultural diffusion (e.g., architecture, dress) shaping India’s cultural landscape.

Key Takeaways for AP Exam

• Religious Diffusion: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam shaped South and Southeast Asian societies more than large-scale empire-building.

• Hinduism: Spread to Funan and Khmer via merchants, blending with animism (Shiva worship), evident in Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat.

• Buddhism: Declined in India due to asceticism and Hinduism’s dominance but thrived in Srivijaya via pilgrims, blending with animism.

• Islam: Spread through merchants, Sufis, and conquest (Delhi Sultanate), with jati integration and jizya tax fostering stability and syncretism.

• Cultural Syncretism: All three religions adapted to local animistic practices, seen in architecture (Angkor Wat, Qutub Minar) and rituals (Srivijaya’s gold offerings).

• Economic Role: Srivijaya’s wealth from the Strait of Malacca and trade goods (ivory, sugar) drove regional prosperity but attracted conquest.

• Social Dynamics: Small populations in Southeast Asia were more egalitarian; India’s caste system limited social mobility despite religious egalitarianism.

Study Tips

• Memorize key terms: Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Shiva, Srivijaya Empire, Strait of Malacca, Delhi Sultanate, jizya tax, Vijayanagara Empire, jati, Sufis, syncretism.

• Understand how each religion spread (merchants, pilgrims, missionaries, conquest) and their cultural impacts.

• Connect monumental architecture (Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Qutub Minar) to religious and cultural significance.

• Compare the egalitarian nature of Southeast Asian societies with India’s caste-based hierarchy.

• Note the Delhi Sultanate’s strategies (jizya, Hindu incorporation) to manage conflict and promote stability.