Reconnecting the Bay of Bengal: a socio-cultural vision of BIMSTEC

This paper explores challenges and possible ways to increase the level of BIMSTEC regional integration from a socio-cultural perspective. It also investigates member states' vision of BIMSTEC and of the Bay of Bengal, especially where they intertwine and divert from one another. The paper postulates that, for BIMSTEC to transform itself into a socio-politically relevant organisation, it must also be culturally more integrated. BIMSTEC should strive to promulgate a shared narrative of regional identity based on the idea of the Bay of Bengal as an interconnected geographical and historical region. Through popular public imagination of the Bay of Bengal and coherent visions shared by its member states and, BIMSTEC will be able to situate itself into public consciousness and mobilise public support for the organisation.