Author(s):
Barbara Brower - Portland State University
Abstract:
High Asia—taken here as the Himalaya-Hindukush-Pamir ranges and Tibetan Plateau—occupies the intersection of several of the world’s most significant and volatile states. It is an area of critical geopolitical significance, often in the news. High Asia includes territories variously considered parts of South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East or Southwest Asia. The defining connection for the region comes from its geography—not the political geography that divides it into often mutually hostile states, but the physical reality of the earth’s highest-standing terrain, a landscape that encompasses an extraordinary complexity of important cultural and biophysical realms. Yet, because it defies conventional definitions of “region,” which center on the dominant, most often lowland, societies and their interests, the mountainous areas of Asia are little understood even among academic specialists. This paper describes efforts to create recognition of High Asia in public, academic, and government spheres.
