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UID:pretalx-wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026-L7DPJB@pretalx.com
DTSTART;TZID=KST:20260626T083000
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DESCRIPTION:This paper examines the Ancient Maritime Silk Route as a histor
 ical model of long-distance interconnection that functioned without the id
 eological framework of modern globalization. Focusing on exchanges between
  China and Sri Lanka across the Indian Ocean\, it draws on Chinese dynasti
 c histories such as the Book of Han and Sri Lankan chronicles\, including 
 the Mahavamsa\, to reconstruct patterns of trade\, diplomacy\, and Buddhis
 t mobility. Contrary to narratives that link global integration primarily 
 to modern economic systems\, pre-modern maritime networks reveal durable f
 orms of interdependence grounded in tribute relations\, commercial recipro
 city\, and religious exchange. Port cities operated as cosmopolitan contac
 t zones where merchants\, monks\, and envoys moved across political bounda
 ries even as states maintained distinct sovereignties and regulated mobili
 ty\, demonstrating that connectivity could coexist with fragmentation\, hi
 erarchy\, and episodic conflict. By foregrounding Asian maritime experienc
 es\, this study argues that interregional connection does not require univ
 ersalist ideology or institutionalized globalization\; rather\, the Mariti
 me Silk Route sustained negotiated interaction among culturally diverse po
 lities while preserving local autonomy. Reconsidering these networks offer
 s a valuable historical framework for understanding the contemporary world
 \, where intense interdependence persists alongside resurgent border regim
 es\, and contributes to broader debates in world history about how to conc
 eptualize connection in periods when globalization as a political project 
 is contested or in retreat.
DTSTAMP:20260412T140054Z
LOCATION:Room 208 (Seats 40)
SUMMARY:Connected Seas\, Closed States: The Ancient Maritime Silk Route and
  Pre-Global Interdependence - Hiti Mudiyanselage Nimesha Madhumali Ekanaya
 ka
URL:https://pretalx.com/wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026/talk/L7DPJB/
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