Prasama

Painting of a 18th century noblewoman done in a Senrian art style.

Prasama (賞賛; from Parbhan: praśaṃsā, "adoration") refers to a numerous cultural movements in Satria, particularly Patasura, that promoted and idealized the themes and aesthetics of south Coius, initially Shangea but later switching to Senria. The term has since evolved to come to refer to and encompass both the exoticization and fetishization of south Coian peoples, including but not limited to Baeans, Senrians, and Shangeans, but also particularly the idealization of Senrian culture. Since the collapse of the Satrian Republic, the term "political prasama" has been used by contemporary Satrian political scientists to describe the Patasuran political system, which is heavily modelled and influenced by both the Senrian Aikokutou and Shengean National Principlism.

The movement was initially purported by the lesser nobility in the Bay of Bashurat, but spread to both the mercantile and higher nobility over the course of the 16th and 17th centuries as a result of the hiring of tankenhei as warriors and court scribes throughout Satria. Prasama was initially a means of lessening the cultural divide between Satria and Senria with the ultimate goal of attracting tankenhei. This was taken to the extreme in practice, however, and nearly saw the complete embrace of Senrian and Shangean culture throughout the Bay of Bashurat, particularly during the interregnum years of the 16th century.

Prasama was based on extensive interest in south Coian civilization, as well as attempts to replicate and reproduce them. "Prasamists" commonly adopted south Coian style names and attire, used south Coian themes and motifs in art and literature, and widespread adoption of south Coian philosophy or the blending of such philosophy with extant systems already present in Satria. Patronage of the movement varied from state-to-state but found a particularly strong foothold in Patasura. At the movement's height, its state patronage saw widespread restructuring of states based on the south Coian model, including the adoption of the imperial examination, patraonization of Zohist monks through a perversion of the sengshui system, and various hybridizations of Neo-Taoshi with local governance. "Prasamic reformism" continued in some form or another until Satria's colonization by Euclean powers.

Critics of the movement have referred to it as "Satrian australism," and even contemporary Satrian philosophers and writers bemoaned the movement as a gross simplification of south Coius, and a fascination with a stereotyped and one-dimensional view of south Coian culture as a whole.

In the modern era, prasama has largely fell to irrelevance as the widespread colonization of Satria by Estmere and Etruria entrenched Euclean social and philosophical ideas in Satrian society. However, the term does see usage as a derogative to refer to admiration and fascination with south Coian culture. The term "political prasama" is used to refer almost exclusively to the Patasuran government structure, and has come to be synonymous with the Euclean political term "Southern democracy" within Satria.

The rise and decline of the prasama movement has remained a subject of debate. Prevailing theory holds that the movement was largely the result of Satrian view of the apparent stability of south Coian states that sharply contrasted with the rapid rise and decline of Satrian polities. The decline of prasama has largely been attributed to Euclean colonialism, the end of the tankenhei, and revivalist movements within Satria itself.

Origins

Satria had been under the influence of south Coius for thousands of years, as dynastic Shangea was the source of numerous philosophical ideas that spread into Satria. Already, Shangean characters were one of the many scripts utilized by the various Satrian polities, and Zohism and other "southern religions" had spread throughout the subcontinent. Up through the Tao dynasty, these were considered supplemental to the contemporary systems in place within Satria, and were hybridized to varying degrees with the native vedic faiths and other Satrian philosophies.

The decline of the Tao over the course of the 14th century saw the extant Shangean tributary system within Satria decline alongside it. Lesser nobility within Bashurat Satria managed to reassert autonomy, and outright reject Tao suzerainty as the Tao increasingly became unable to perform punitive actions against states that refused tribute. In the wake of the Tao system falling, Ansan took advantage of this and set out on several campaigns of plundering several major south Satrian cities. This led to the implementation of Ansan's own tributary system set up in the imitation of previous Tao model.

Ansan's primary religion, Cheongung, proved incompatible with the present faiths practiced across Satria. The local brahmin caste, responsible for both religious and bureaucratic duties, became increasingly excluded from government as Ansan expanded through the lowlands. Because of the sudden need for a new bureaucratic class, the tankenhei were seen as a natural choice due to both their reputation as warriors but also their familiarity with Shangean characters. This led to the creation of a new "warrior-scribe" caste within Ansene Satria which was almost entirely composed of hired tankenhei. Despite Ansan losing control of Satria over the course of the 16th century, tankenhei were still sought after, and efforts were made, especially by lesser nobles, of emulating Senrian culture in the hopes of not just obtaining their service, but retaining it.

History

In the preceding centuries, Satria had been under influence from south Coian countries. The Tripartite struggle partially exaggerated this influence within Satria proper, as different states who rose to hegemony over Satria saw shifts and decline of south Coian influence. Initially, the Sarapacha Empire (Nagakara: 矢五; Chatakara: さらぱぎ) achieved hegemony over the majority of Satria, and most importantly peninsular Satria – the lands encompassing modern-day Padaratha. The Sarapachan hegemonic period coincided with the middle of the Kingen period occurring in Senria, wherein the rise of central authority in both Satria and Senria promoted and facilitated the exchange of ideas and other aspects of culture. This time period is known for the beginning of the introduction of Theuku Zohism in peninsular Satria, which supplanted the entrenched Tsandau sects, and further made in roads into lowland Satria.

Legacy

Patasura

Inaugural Patasuran President Anirvan Sarasvat was noted to have an "admiration for the Senrian nation."

Historically, the geographic area of modern-day Patasura was the epicenter of the prasama movement. Despite the Padaratha being much closer, the lowlands of Patasura had been the heartlands of numerous Satrian empires, which contributed to the high development in comparison with the rest of the subcontinent. The development and accumulation of wealth directly contributed to the ability of the delta to continue the hiring of Ansene, Shangean, and Senrian artisans through the centuries. This saw the delta remain heavily "parasamist" even if the movement had long disappeared elsewhere. Contemporary Patasura continues this trend into the modern day; being the most pro-Senrian post-Satrian Republic state, and being one of the largest consumers of Ansene, Shangean, and Senrian media in the world. This had led some analysts and commentators, such as Sugihara Moromao, Ashley Richards, and Mykola Solovej to call Patasura "fundamentally prasamist."

Prasama's biggest legacy within the country is the the political system. Although largely a continuation of the Satrian Republic government, Patasuran influence over the Pan-Satrian League led to its emulation of Imaharism and National Principlism within the Satrian Republic and a continuation of the trend of endemic Coian state ideologies. The break up and collapse of the Satrian Republic in the late-1970s saw the newly created Patasura continue to embrace south Coian ideologies as what was later termed "Imaharism adapted for a new Satrian nation" became the dominant political ideology of the National Republican Congress. The emergence of the term "southern democracy" in the 1990s has saw a rise in the usage of "political prasama" to describe the political systems of Satria, more specifically Ajahadya and Patasura, within the context of southern democracy.

Culturally, prasama is still a present influence within the general scope of Patasuran culture, as national media is influenced more by Senriana and Shangean trends than those elsewhere. Furthermore, Ansene, Senrian, and Shangean media is widely consumed, and Patasura remains a sizeable market for A-dramas, anime, and donghua. Religiously, Zohism is the plurality religion by practicioners alone, however surveys and censuses indicate a majority of Patasurans participate in some Zohist festivals/rituals, even if they themselves are non-practicing.

Criticism

• Contemporary criticism centered largely on oversimplification and utopian view of south Coius.
• Reactionary movements criticized the replacement of Satrian philosophy and values with those of Senria and Shangea.
• Modern criticism is focused more on the art and the seeming fetishization/exoticization of south Coians.
  • Also involves general racism and the "docile housewife" of Senrian/Shangean women idea similar to irl. Less of an issue compared to IRL Western society but still probably worth mentioning to some extent
• Political commentators/talking heads use of "subconscious prasama" to refer to the middle income trap.