[Conference] Historical Treaties of Southeast Asia

Readers may be interested in this interesting conference about cultural diplomacy, treaties, international law and colonialism happening in the University of the Philippines on 29 Feb – 2 March 2024. Registration details in the link below.

The conference Treaty-Making and Cross-Cultural Diplomacy in Asia aims to stimulate the discussion and exchange of ideas about these topics and about the theoretical and methodological challenges involved in writing new global histories of imperialism, international relations, cross-cultural diplomacy, treaty-making, and international law from the onset of the European expansion until the end of colonialism in Asia. Themes to be explored include, but are not limited to:

• the exploration of unconventional sources for the study of diplomacy and treaty-making;
• comparative studies between different regions, treaty-making parties, time periods etc.;
• the complex relationship between, on the one hand, violence, conquest, and coercion, and, on the other hand, negotiation, compromise, and conviviality in treaty-making processes;
• the role of translation, literacy, oral traditions, and potential linguistic barriers;
• the role of intermediaries (e.g. interpreters, secretaries, witnesses) and informal actors;
• the relation between traditional Asian instruments of inter-state relations, such tributary systems, and the practice of treaty-making
• the role of symbols, rituals, ceremonies, and gifts in treaty-making processes;
• new concepts and frameworks of analysis for understanding treaties in imperial contexts;
• new methods for studying treaty-making and cross-cultural diplomacy.

Source: Conference