Often serving as an important node through which West Asian and South Asian maritime trade with China were maintained, maritime Southeast Asia remained exposed to various extra-local influences that accompanied maritime trade with and through this area. Yet, as the research articles in the book indicate, it was not just an appendage to the two great agrarian and maritime civilizations of Asia: India and China. It imbibed extra-local influences and transformed them to suit local needs. The book looks into the issue of complex interactions between local and extra-local influences in maritime Southeast Asia. It traces the processes through which extra-local influences were localized.

1. Southeast Asia - History. 2. Southeast Asia - Civilization. 3. Southeast Asia - Religious life and customs.