The Invention of Asia

Where did the concept of 'Asia' come from? Was this a term coined by the many communities that spanned this great continent, or was it a Western invention, imposed upon those lands and populations that were so 'other' to themselves? This book argues that 'Asia' is a European creation, and goes back in time to show how and when this term was invented. Unknown to 'Asians' until the 19th century, it grouped together a vast area of diverse cultures and peoples who were simply identified as 'the other' in a world dominated by Europe. Arguing that far from being fixed and separate, Bowring shows how peoples of Europe and Asia flowed fluidly back and forth across the land mass over millennia. Arguing that this continent should therefore be viewed as a series of 8 sub-continents interconnected through religion, trade, cultures and war, he shows how each sub-continent has its own unique history, but were also part of wider human, commodity and knowledge networks. Challenging our prevailing ideas of regional and national divisions, The Invention of Asia traces some of the major interactions of these subcontinents over the past 5,000 years. From the great migrations of the central continent to the civilizations of Han China and the mighty Achaemenid and Hellenistic Empires, it shows how misleading the Europe-Asia division is, and why new terminology is needed to better reflect their geographical and cultural differences.

Philip Bowring is a journalist based in Hong Kong and held the position of editor for the Far Eastern Economic Review between 1973 and 1992. He is the author of Empire of the Winds (Bloomsbury, 2018) and The Making of the Modern Philippines (Bloomsbury, 2022).

Introduction: What's in a Name? 1. Beyond Geography: The Idea of Europe 2. Asia Becomes Asian 3. Indica: Aryan Meets Dravidian 4. Kingdom of the Horse, and Cart 5. Sumer, Semites and Syria 6. Imperia Meets Indica: Achaemenids, Alexander, Ashoka, Guptas 7. Hellenists, Parthians, Semitia and Rome 8. Indica's Cultural Influence 9. Maritima: World of Seafarers and Scripts 10. Waves of Warriors Move West 11. Vikings, Rus, Slaves and Travellers 12. Arabica: Felix, Desert, Crossroads 13. The Abbasids and Enlightenment 14. Turks: The Great Connectors 15. The Lure of Indica: God Follows Booty 16. Mongols: The Great Disrupters 17. Timur: Terror and Triumphs 18. Mughals: Mongols as Beautifiers 19. Safavids and the Persianate World 20. Ottomans: A Lesson in Imperialism 21. From Don to Okhotsk: Russia as Nation and Empire 22. From Horse to Hermit: Korea and Japan 23. Maritima's Diverse Trajectories 24. Europa Steals the Limelight 25. Quest for Pan-Asian Identity: Magnificent Failure