Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology

This thesis examines data collected during the salvage of the cargo of a merchant ves-sel foundered in the Java Sea, by a short inscription in a fragment of a bowl and coins dat-ed to around 970 CE. The wreck’s position indicates that the ship was on her way to the island of Java; the verssel herself belongs into the so called ‘lashed-lug and doweled’, Western Austronesian (‘Malayo-Indonesian’) tradition of boat-building. The surviving cargo ranges from Chinese stonewares and Southeast Asian ceramics to Middle Eastern glassware, tin and lead from –proposedly– the Malay Archipelago, and a wide variety of “smaller finds”, most of which can be attributed to the broader area of the western Indian Ocean.
The find palpably demonstrates the far-reaching and well-institutionalised trade rela-tions throughout early medieval Asia. It is often assumed that pre-modern Asian com-merce was largely organised in small-scale ventures, the so called “pedlar trade”, and a number of sources indicate structural features of the ships facilitating this commerce that could have supported such a “particularised” exchange. However, a critical assessment of the composition and distribution of the ship’s payload and a virtual reconstruction of the ship and her initial loading pattern reveal that the vessel’s ceramic cargo in all probability was not acquired, handled, and bound to be marketed as a particularised “peddling” ven-ture, but managed by a single authority. The huge amount of ceramics carried on the ves-sel raises questions regarding frequency, volume and modus operandi of maritime ex-changes in tenth-century Southeast Asia, implying that the ship’s tragic voyage was but an attempt at instituting a virtual monopoly in such trade.

The Siren of Cirebon: a tenth-century trading vessel lost in the Java Sea

Borassus flabellifer or Asian Palmyra palm is an important crop for local economies in the South and Southeast Asia for its fruit and palm sugar production. Archeological and historical evidence indicated the presence of this species in Southeast Asia dating back at least 1500 years. B. flabellifer is believed to be originated in Africa, spread to South Asia and introduced into Southeast Asia through commercial routes and dissemination of cultures, however, the nature of its invasion and settlement in Thailand is unclear. Here, we analyzed genetic data of 230 B. flabellifer accessions across Thailand using 17 EST-SSR and 12 gSSR polymorphic markers. Clustering analysis revealed that the population consisted of two genetic clusters (STRUCTURE K = 2). Cluster I is found mainly in southern Thailand, while Cluster II is found mainly in the northeastern. Those found in the central are of an extensive mix between the two. These two clusters are in moderate differentiation (F
 ST = 0.066 and N
 M = 3.532) and have low genetic diversity (HO = 0.371 and 0.416; AR = 2.99 and 3.19, for the cluster I and II respectively). The minimum numbers of founders for each genetic group varies from 3 to 4 individuals, based on simulation using different allele frequency assumptions. These numbers coincide with that B. flabellifer is dioecious, and a number of seeds had to be simultaneously introduced for obtaining both male and female founders. From these data and geographical and historical evidence, we hypothesize that there were at least two different invasive events of B. flabellifer in Thailand. B. flabellifer was likely brought through the Straits of Malacca to be propagated in the southern Thailand as one of the invasive events before spreading to the central Thailand. The second event likely occurred in Khmer Empire, currently Cambodia, before spreading to the northeastern Thailand.

/pdf/genetic-evidence-of-multiple-invasions-and-a-small-number-of-3qkwzazxg7.pdf

Genetic evidence of multiple invasions and a small number of founders of Asian Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer) in Thailand

The study was intended to determine the college students’ cognitive and affective attitude toward higher
education and how it affects their academic engagement. In order to proceed with the study, theories on human
attitude and human behaviour and academic engagement were discussed. Related literatures were reviewed to
strengthen the theory of the study and the validated questionnaires were used to gather the data. The study used
descriptive correlational research design and supplied by inquiries. To interpret the data, the statistical tools were
used such as Mean and Pearson r. Mean was used to measure the cognitive and affective attitude of students toward
education and their academic engagement. Pearson r was used to determine the relationship between cognitive and
affective attitude of students toward higher education and academic engagement. The study found that students’
cognitive and affective attitude toward higher education correlates significantly to the academic engagement.

/pdf/college-students-cognitive-and-affective-attitude-toward-x2bnbtlf66.pdf

College Students’ Cognitive and Affective Attitude toward Higher Education and Their Academic Engagement

Review of Robert S. Wicks, 'Money, Markets and Trade in Early Southeast Asia'

This paper examines the presence of seals, sealings, amulets and coinages at the Dvaravati cultural sites in the context of their relation with objects unearthed across the shores of the Bay of Bengal in India. The social environment of the voyaging objects is also looked into apart from situating them in the religious network of the period. The presentation, while discussing the network of relations, also addresses the question of agency in the whole process of interaction spanning across the Bay of Bengal.

/pdf/seals-amulets-and-coinages-of-dvaravati-cultural-sites-4itzrudrdh.pdf

Seals, Amulets and Coinages of Dvaravati Cultural Sites: Understanding their Social Environment and Religious Network.

Culture is a phenomenon which goes beyond boundaries. In the context of today’s world of Asianization, it has become very pertinent to understand the cultures of our neighbours and reciprocal interactions.

India–Thailand Cultural Interactions: A Study of Shared Cultural Markers

India-Thailand cultural interactions: Glimpses from the past to present

Cultural and commercial contacts between India and mainland Southeast Asia began with the spread of Hindu–Buddhist ideology along with influence of Pali and Sanskrit languages since 500 B.C.E. New ideas, new modes and patterns of life were introduced. Language and literature of Thailand were not an exception. India had a strong influence on the various linguistic and literary traditions of Thailand. Versions of the epics Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Pancatantra (animal stories) and the Jataka stories migrated to the land of Siam and took new localized forms. So the notion of indigenization became vibrant and a new form of associated as well dialectical culture evolved.

Lipi Ghosh

Papers

Seals, Amulets and Coinages of Dvaravati Cultural Sites: Understanding their Social Environment and Religious Network.

India–Thailand Cultural Interactions: A Study of Shared Cultural Markers

India-Thailand cultural interactions: Glimpses from the past to present

Thai Language and Literature: Glimpses of Indian Influence