Figures of Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia

Exploring prominent Buddhist leaders, politicians, and diplomats who have engaged in Buddhist diplomacy in modern Asia since the twentieth century, this is the first open access book to argue for the need to bring Buddhism into the study of international relations in modern Asia.

Each chapter focuses on the collaboration and networks between Buddhists, non-Buddhists, and state actors in the making of Buddhist diplomacy, seeking to reveal how religion continues to play a role in the foreign policy of secular countries in Asia. The volume challenges common assumptions that Buddhism is politically inactive and therefore unimportant to foreign relations.

Through its multidisciplinary approach, this book advances a new direction of scholarship that bridges diplomatic history, international relations, and religious studies. Scholars range from religious studies specialists, anthropologists, historians, and political scientists. Chapters include a focus on the roles of Buddhist figures such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Hong Choon, George Yeo, and Xi Jinping.

Building on previous studies on religion in international relations and global politics, this volume offers an empirically grounded examination of the use of Buddhist diplomacy in modern times. In doing so, it breaks new ground, bringing Buddhism into the study of foreign policy and integrating transnational Buddhist networks into the study of international relations.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Fellowship, Social Science Research Council (Singapore).