Indonesia in Indian Ocean culture history

Mapping Indo-Khmer Historical and Cultural Connections: Peaceful Coexistence and Convergence of Culture

“…On the other hand, for Cambodian nationalist scholars, even though accepting the fundamental role of Indian culture, they tend to stress that the existing local culture was an essential foundation of Khmer civilisation before it could absorb foreign ideas (Sem, 1971;Teav, 1972;Troeng, 1974;Tranet, 2013). As a matter of fact, recent scholars believe that Southeast Asian societies developed well before coming into contact with the Indic civilisation (Marschall 1980;Smith 1999;Lockard 2009;Hall 2011). Hence, local people were not passive receivers of Indian culture but selectively borrowed some cultural elements from India to fulfil local needs.…”

“…According to Wolters (1967), the increase in maritime trade around the Indonesian archipelago was not linked to Indian maritime trade, and it was instead an indigenous process. Some scholars even suggest that, in pre-and protohistory of Southeast Asia, the shipping capacity of Indonesians was highly developed and, in some aspects, even more advanced than that of Indians (Marschall, 1980;Kulke, 1990). That said, many scholars do not refute the concept considered derogative when referring to typical Khmer individuals to mean 'backward or uncivilised'.…”