ABSTRACT
Religious and economic systems originating in India and China have been instrumental in shaping and dening the local cultures of Southeast Asia. This was recognized by the earliest European explorers and resulted in the initial designation of the region as ‘Indo-China’ – midway between and culturally part of both of the larger and more popular metropoles to the north and west. However, deploying ‘Indo-china’ imposes a narrative on understanding the region: that Southeast Asia is not only mid-way geographically between these two larger locations, but also can be understood culturally through comprehending India or China and, therefore, was and is largely imitative of these larger entities.
