The Sea Beyond all Borders: The Link between Southeast Asian Countries

La mer représente le lien fondamental entre la plupart des pays d’Asie du Sud-Est. Qu’ils soient maritimes ou insulaires, tous ont bénéficié des influences étrangères et parfois en ont également souffert. Ces inspirations venues d’ailleurs ont marqué leurs cultures maritimes qui, à leur tour, modèlent leur histoire nationale. À travers l’espace et le temps, comment ces nations ont-elles vécu et comment ont-elles ressenti l’élément maritime ? Comment les cultures maritimes se sont-elles développées ? Quelle est l’importance réelle de la mer pour les peuples asiatiques ? L’objectif de ce numéro spécial est de souligner l’importance de l’héritage archéologique et anthropologique afin de mettre en évidence quelques facettes maritimes de l’Asie du Sud-Est. Car au-delà du temps et de la distance, la mer est ce qui lie les peuples d’Asie. The Sea is a fundamental link between most of Southeast Asian countries. Whether they are from the islands or from the mainland, they benefited from the outside influences and sometimes suffered from it. The outside influences impacted on the maritime cultures who in turn, shaped national history. Across time and space, how did communities lived and connected with the maritime element? How did maritime cultures develop? How important is the Sea for Asian people? For coastal populations, the answer may appear obvious. For centuries they inherited foreign cultures coming from migration currents and waterborne exchanges. Archeology is one of the keys to understand Asian maritime legacy. Crossed by 4 main influences, islanders integrated various elements which shaped and defined their own culture. It included elements from the Austronesian speaking people and their maritime skills, from the Cham and their “thalassocracy” organization, from the Chinese and from the Europeans. This unique heritage deserves to be adequately and thoroughly assessed. Beyond time and distances, the sea is the bond that links Asian people together