Ancient Arakanese inscriptions glowing in a jungle setting, symbolizing the rediscovery of lost history.

Unearthing Arakan: How New Research is Rewriting Southeast Asian History

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Avery Sinclair in Global Affairs June 2025 • 4 min read.

"Dive into the groundbreaking discoveries that are challenging long-held beliefs about Arakan's role in the historical narrative of Southeast Asia."


For centuries, the narrative of Southeast Asian history has been dominated by perspectives largely shaped by European colonial powers. Often overlooked in these grand narratives are the intricate local histories and the dynamic interplay of cultures and economies within regions like Arakan (now Rakhine State in Myanmar). Situated on the Bay of Bengal, Arakan served as a crucial crossroads, weaving together diverse influences from both South and Southeast Asia.

Now, a new wave of scholarship is emerging, dedicated to re-examining Arakanese history through the lens of local sources. This shift in focus promises to unveil a richer, more nuanced understanding of the region's past, challenging existing assumptions and rewriting chapters of Southeast Asian history. By engaging with epigraphic, numismatic, and manuscript archives, historians are piecing together a more accurate picture of Arakan's cultural, religious, and political landscape.

This article explores how these new textual and epigraphic studies are transforming our understanding of Arakan and its connections to the broader historical narrative of Southeast Asia. Get ready to discover how local histories are challenging colonial perspectives and reshaping our understanding of the past.

Challenging Colonial Narratives

Ancient Arakanese inscriptions glowing in a jungle setting, symbolizing the rediscovery of lost history.

Traditional accounts of Arakan’s history have often relied heavily on European sources, primarily those of Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial powers. These accounts, while valuable, inevitably reflect the biases and perspectives of the colonizers. As a result, the role and significance of Arakan within the broader Southeast Asian context have been somewhat skewed, often portraying the region as a peripheral player rather than a central hub of cultural and economic exchange.

The emerging scholarship seeks to correct this imbalance by prioritizing local sources—inscriptions, manuscripts, and archaeological findings produced within Arakan itself. This approach allows historians to delve into the Arakanese perspective, uncovering the region's unique contributions and its complex interactions with neighboring societies. By foregrounding local voices, researchers are beginning to dismantle long-held assumptions and construct a more accurate and inclusive historical narrative.

Key aspects of this shift include:
  • Examining vernacular and Indic language documents.
  • Addressing the neglect of Arakanese archives.
  • Highlighting local cultural production.
  • Correcting imbalances in historical accounts.
One of the most significant contributions of this new research is the re-evaluation of Arakan’s religious landscape. Colonial accounts often portrayed early Buddhism in Arakan as primarily Mahayana-oriented. However, recent analyses of newly discovered Sanskrit inscriptions are challenging this view, suggesting a more complex and diverse religious landscape. These inscriptions provide insights into the religious practices and identities of the time, prompting a reconsideration of long-held assumptions and offering a more nuanced understanding of Arakanese Buddhism.

Rewriting Arakan's Story

The ongoing effort to re-examine Arakanese history represents a significant step towards a more inclusive and accurate understanding of Southeast Asia's past. By prioritizing local sources and challenging colonial narratives, researchers are uncovering the region's unique contributions and its complex interactions with neighboring societies. This work not only enriches our knowledge of Arakan but also prompts a broader re-evaluation of how we approach the study of history, encouraging a more nuanced and multi-faceted perspective.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1353/jbs.2015.0010, Alternate LINK

Title: Connected And Local Histories Of Arakan: New Textual And Epigraphic Studies: Introduction

Subject: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Journal: Journal of Burma Studies

Publisher: Project Muse

Authors: Christian Lammerts, Arlo Griffiths

Published: 2015-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

1

How did colonial perspectives skew the historical significance of Arakan in Southeast Asia?

Traditional accounts of Arakan's history relied heavily on European sources, like those of Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial powers. These narratives, while valuable, reflect the colonizers' biases, portraying Arakan as a peripheral player. Emerging scholarship corrects this by prioritizing local sources—inscriptions, manuscripts, and archaeological findings produced within Arakan itself, providing a more accurate and inclusive historical narrative.

2

How are newly discovered Sanskrit inscriptions reshaping our understanding of Buddhism in Arakan?

New research is re-evaluating Arakan’s religious landscape. Colonial accounts portrayed early Buddhism in Arakan as primarily Mahayana-oriented. However, recent analyses of newly discovered Sanskrit inscriptions challenge this view, suggesting a more complex and diverse religious landscape. These inscriptions provide insights into the religious practices and identities, offering a more nuanced understanding of Arakanese Buddhism.

3

What is the broader implication of re-examining Arakanese history for understanding Southeast Asia's past?

By prioritizing local sources and challenging colonial narratives, researchers are uncovering Arakan's unique contributions and its complex interactions with neighboring societies. This approach enriches our knowledge of Arakan and prompts a broader re-evaluation of how we approach the study of history, encouraging a more nuanced and multi-faceted perspective.

4

What key steps are being taken to address the historical neglect of Arakan?

The new scholarship addresses the neglect of Arakanese archives. This involves examining vernacular and Indic language documents. It also focuses on highlighting local cultural production. The intention is to correct imbalances in historical accounts that have traditionally favored colonial perspectives.

5

What role did Arakan play as a cultural and economic crossroads, and how is new research revealing this?

Arakan, situated on the Bay of Bengal, served as a crucial crossroads, weaving together diverse influences from both South and Southeast Asia. The emerging scholarship is using epigraphic, numismatic, and manuscript archives to piece together a more accurate picture of Arakan's cultural, religious, and political landscape, challenging existing assumptions derived primarily from colonial sources.

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