{"id":36050,"date":"2026-04-17T15:34:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T07:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/?p=36050"},"modified":"2026-04-15T17:50:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T09:50:22","slug":"book-launch-figures-of-buddhist-diplomacy-in-modern-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2026\/04\/17\/book-launch-figures-of-buddhist-diplomacy-in-modern-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Launch: Figures of Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discussions of diplomacy often assume that relationships between states begin with formal recognition and official channels.\u00a0This assumption was directly challenged at the launch of\u00a0<\/span>Figures of Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(Bloomsbury, 2026) on 8 April 2026, at The Pod, NLB. Edited by Associate Professor Jack Meng-Tat Chia (NUS History) and funded by Singapore’s Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the volume was discussed at an event jointly organised by the FASS Research Division\u2019s Singapore Research Nexus and GL Louis Religious Pluralism (GLRP) Research Cluster.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The launch brought together scholars from history, religious studies, and political science, alongside policymakers and members of the public. Professor Chan Heng Chee, Deputy Chairman of the SSRC, delivered the opening remarks as guest-of-honour, highlighting the broader relevance of the book\u2019s themes for understanding diplomacy in Asia today.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Central to the discussion was the idea that diplomatic engagement can take shape outside\u00a0of\u00a0formal institutions. The book highlights how Buddhist actors\u2014including monks, educators, and religious leaders\u2014have historically built cross-border connections through shared practices and institutional ties. These interactions, while not formally diplomatic, have contributed to sustaining communication and cooperation across societies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One theme that\u00a0emerged\u00a0during the\u00a0presentations\u00a0was the role of such networks in contexts where official relations are limited. Through pilgrimage, missionary work, and education, religious actors have created channels of engagement that\u00a0operate\u00a0independently of state coordination. These connections can endure across political shifts, providing continuity in regional interactions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The case of the Singaporean monk Hong Choon, discussed in\u00a0one of the presentations, illustrates this pattern. His work across Asia helped link Buddhist communities through teaching and institution-building,\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0how long-term relationships can be\u00a0established\u00a0through religious networks rather than formal agreements.\u00a0This and other\u00a0examples suggest that diplomacy may develop gradually through social and cultural exchange before it is formalised at the state level.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, speakers noted that these informal networks increasingly intersect with contemporary state practices. In modern Asia, governments have drawn\u00a0upon shared cultural and religious reference points to support regional engagement, positioning them as complementary to official diplomacy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Singapore, these themes are particularly relevant. As a multi-religious society embedded within regional networks, its external engagement extends beyond formal diplomacy. Cultural and religious linkages may support trust-building and people-to-people connections, especially in a more complex geopolitical environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read the book\u00a0<\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0Additional\u00a0coverage can be found in the\u00a0<\/span>NUS News feature<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0launch event.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo: Associate Professor Jack Meng-Tat Chia presenting his edited volume, Figures of Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia<\/em>, at the National Library Board.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discussions of diplomacy often assume that relationships between states begin with formal recognition and official channels.\u00a0This assumption was directly challenged at the launch of\u00a0Figures of Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia\u00a0(Bloomsbury, 2026) on 8 April 2026, at The Pod, NLB. Edited by Associate Professor Jack Meng-Tat Chia (NUS History) and funded by Singapore’s Social Science Research […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":357,"featured_media":36051,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4531,4538,4529,4609,4604],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-history","category-news","category-singapore-research-nexus","category-visible"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/357"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36050"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36054,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36050\/revisions\/36054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}