[Article] Historian advocates joint control of border heritage sites.

January 23, 2011 | The Nation by Supalak Ganjanakhundee

Countries in the Mekong River basin and the Dangrek Mountain range should consider creating a trans-boundary world heritage site of cultural and natural resources to end their border conflicts, prominent historian Charnvit Kasetsiri proposed over the weekend.
Speaking at a seminar "Our Boundaries, Our Asean Neighbours" on Friday, Charnvit said countries in the region had a lot of cultural and natural heritage left by ancestors centuries ago, some of which were sources of conflict.
Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear for half a century. The proposal by Cambodia to list the ruined temple as a World Heritage site in 2008 fuelled conflict between the neighbouring countries.
A group of Thai nationalists want the government to block Cambodia's attempt to run Preah Vihear and kick a Khmer community out of the area adjacent to the temple.
A ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1962 found that Preah Vihear was situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia.
Bangkok said it respected the court's ruling but argued that the temple's vicinity and even the land where the temple sits belongs to Thailand.
Preah Vihear temple was listed as a World Heritage site in 2008 but the Thai government, with strong support from nationalist groups, opposed its management plan. The two countries remain in conflict and seem to have no way to settle their differences.
Charnvit proposed what he is calling a "Mixed Cultural and Natural Mekong-Dangrek World Heritage" as a model to end the conflict.
There were some examples in the world, he said, where trans-border World Heritage sites had been possible, citing the Iguazu waterfalls - the world's largest - which are situated on the border of Argentina and Brazil.

[...Read the full article here...]

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[Article] Architectural heritage crumbles.

January, 10 2011 | Viet Nam News

THUA THIEN HUE — Historic buildings in two localities that functioned as commercial port towns during the Nguyen dynasty are in a severely dilapidated condition.
The Bao Vinh Town, which hosted a busy port in 18th century, had 39 old buildings standing at the end of the American War.
Meanwhile, Gia Hoi, a bustling port town in early 19th century, had 140 old buildings featuring traditional Vietnamese, Chinese as well as French colonial architecture.
These buildings have been so badly damaged by the rampant urbanisation of last two decades, that only 15 of them still stand in Bao Vinh, while Gia Hoi has 55.
Residents complain that they are caught in a bind. One the one hand, they cannot repair their houses to make them safe or expand it to meet their needs because authorities have banned such actions. On the other hand, the authorities themselves have taken no action to preserve the old buildings.
"Many old houses in Bao Vinh are in ruin and vulnerable to floods and hard weather," said Nguyen Van Bon, chairman of Huong Vinh Commune.
A conservation project to protect the two towns was set up by Thua Thien Hue Province in 2003, but only three houses were repaired with funds from the French Parliament. In Gia Hoi, one pagoda had its gate and entrance restored.
Experts have called on authorities to act before it is too late.

[ ... Read the full article here ... ]

Safe as houses? This unique two-storey wooden house in Gia Hoi Old Town is in a bad shape, but local authorities remain unsure how best to protect it. — VNA/VNS Photo Thai Loc

[Publication] Falcon - L’imposteur de Siam.

Alain Forest

Le destin de ce jeune Grec parti d’Europe sur les navires de la Compagnie anglaise des Indes est proprement fabuleux : après des années passées à faire du commerce entre Java, le Tonkin et le Siam, le jeune homme se fixe dans ce dernier pays. Apprenant rapidement la langue, il devient favori puis conseiller et ministre du tout puissant roi de Siam. Ce au moment où Louis XIV s’intéresse à ce pays, envoyant flotte, corps expéditionnaire, missions diplomatiques et jésuites… L’aventurier grec va jouer un jeu dangereux entre ambassadeurs, religieux et soldats français, courtisans et moines siamois jaloux de son pouvoir... Un récit historique passionnant, mais aussi un travail de recherche : tout est véridique, ce qui n’est pas le moins étonnant.

ISBN : 978-2-84654-233-3

Éditions Les Indes savantes

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[Publication] Histoire de la Birmanie contemporaine.

Le pays des prétoriens
Renaud Egreteau

    * Date de Parution : 22/09/2010.
    * Code ISBN / EAN : 9782213655529 / hachette : 3607678.
    * Editions Fayard.
    * 280 pages.

Née par les armes voilà soixante ans, la Birmanie est aujourd’hui le plus ancien régime militaire du monde. Résultat : des forces armées omniprésentes asphyxient la vie politique, laissent trente millions de Birmans avec moins d’un euro par jour pour vivre et une dizaine d’ethnies en guerre civile plus ou moins continue. Grenier à riz de l’Asie et l’un des pays les plus alphabétisés du monde en 1948, la Birmanie marche au pas de l’oie vers le non-développement. Et les vicissitudes infligées à Aung San Suu Kyi, prix Nobel iconifiée qui incarne la seule opposition démocratique, laissent augurer un long purgatoire.
Sauf que la réalité, mesurée sur le terrain et étayée par les sources inédites rassemblées par Renaud Egreteau, se révèle beaucoup plus compliquée. La Birmanie ploie sous le poids d’un « passé qui ne passe pas » : l’influence japonaise des années 1930 et la colonisation britannique ; elle est hantée par la menace des deux Géants qui la bordent – la Chine et l’Inde – et par « l’invasion » redoutée des ONG, des Occidentaux et du capitalisme libéral. Sans complaisance ni concession, Renaud Egreteau déconstruit le paradoxe d’un pays qui tient ensemble sous la poigne des prétoriens : et si la démocratie et le développement comptaient moins que l’entre-soi ?

Docteur de l’IEP de Paris, Renaud Egreteau est chercheur à l’université de Hong Kong.

[Séminaires] EPHE | Philippe PAPIN & Pascal BOURDEAUX.

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Les séminaires de Philippe PAPIN et Pascal BOURDEAUX reprendront le jeudi 18 novembre :

Philippe Papin

Histoire et sociétés du Viêt-Nam classique
1. Histoire rurale : la société villageoise XVIIe au XIXe siècle.
2. Étude des donations bouddhistes dans quelques villages du bassin du fleuve Rouge à l'époque moderne.
Les jeudis de 16h à 19h30 : Maison de l'Asie - 22, avenue du Président-Wilson, 75116 Paris.
 

Pascal Bourdeaux

Religions de l’Asie du sud-est
Approches socio-historiques des nouveaux mouvements religieux au sud Vietnam (XIXe-XXe siècles) [suite].
1. Constructions nationales, situations postcoloniales.
2. Étude de textes relatifs au bouddhisme Hoa Hao [suite].
Les jeudis de 14h à 16h : Maison de l’Asie - 22, avenue du Président-Wilson, 75116 Paris, salle du rez-de-chaussée.

A noter | Séance exceptionnelle :

Olivier Tessier, maître de conférences EFEO

"Le Démantèlement de la citadelle d'Hanoi au XIXè siècle"

Le vendredi 19 novembre
à la Maison de l'Asie, de 14 heures à 17 heures, salle du rez-de-chaussée.

Résumé : Avec l’avènement de l’empereur Gia Long en 1802 et le transfert de la capitale du pays réunifié à Huế, Hanoi perdit son statut de centre politique et ne pouvait plus posséder ni Cité impériale ni Cité interdite. En lieu et place fut construite une citadelle inspirée des principes de fortification à la Vauban. Ce premier bouleversement du paysage urbain constitue le point de départ du cheminement que nous nous proposons de suivre en retraçant pour cela les principales transformations que les empereurs successifs de la dynastie des Nguyễn imposèrent à l’ancienne citée de Thăng Long afin de la dépouiller de ses attributs terrestres et célestes symboles du pouvoir impérial. L’intervention coloniale précipita le processus et le mena jusqu'à son terme. En quinze années, de la seconde prise de la citadelle par Henri Rivière en 1882 au démantèlement des remparts achevé en 1897, les nouveaux maîtres du pays se livrèrent à une entreprise violente de destruction des édifices impériaux et mandarinaux qui furent remplacés par des bâtiments militaires et profanes, volontarisme qui s’inscrivait dans une logique de matérialisation des institutions coloniales dans l’espace urbain.

[Colloque] Les Philippines - une Histoire, un Espace, des Sociétés.

Colloque International
25, 26, 27 novembre 2010
Fustel de Coulanges
Palais Universitaire
Université de Strasbourg

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Pour la première fois en France, un Colloque International Pluridisciplinaire réunit historiens, géographes, sociologues et anthropologues de l'Hexagone et d'Ailleurs pour penser l'archipel aux 7107 îles.

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Télécharger le Programme (Pdf/2Mb).

[Publication] Vivre avec les vietnamiens.

Laurent Passicousset / Philippe Papin / Préface de Jean-Claude Guillebaud

Fort de ses 90 millions d'habitants, le Vietnam, pivot stratégique entre l'Asie du Sud-Est et l'Asie orientale, est au-delà des images d'Épinal - Indochine, Diên Biên Phù, napalm, chute de Saigon, affiches de propagande, pourtant mal connu.

Or le Vietnam ne cesse de se renouveler depuis son ouverture au début des années 1990, jusque dans les détails : l'abandon de la veste de treillis, du casque militaire et des sandales en pneu de camion, le port de chaussettes, l'apparition des robes imprimées, le démantèlement des haut-parleurs publics, l'installation de feux de circulation aux carrefours, et surtout le droit de parler, de circuler et de sortir du pays

Aujourd'hui, on se nourrit mieux au Vietnam, on travaille dans le privé, on lit la presse sur Internet, on voyage, on s'amuse, mais on se ruine toujours pour envoyer ses enfants à l'école, acheter des médicaments ou s'acquitter des taxes Plus complexe, la société est redevenue un millefeuille d'individus. Une seule chose ne bouge pas : le Parti unique, divisé, lézardé, mais auquel chacun est bien obligé de se soumettre; ou de s'accommoder. Car, si la transition économique est achevée, évoquer la chute du régime reste un pari audacieux.

Philippe Papin et Laurent Passicousset arpentent le Vietnam depuis vingt ans. Au gré des rencontres, des témoignages et des confidences, ils montrent la vie quotidienne de toutes les strates de la société, où « un vrai mouvement de réprobation se fait jour qui, sur sa marge, tourne à la dissidence, aujourd'hui sévèrement réprimée ».

ISBN : 9782809803358

372 pages

Édition L'Archipel , Collection Des hommes et des pays (29 septembre 2010).

Présentation du livre

Mercredi 20 octobre, à partir de 19h

Libraire Page, n°189, rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Paris 11è

[Festival] 21e édition du film d'Histoire - "La fin des colonies".

Du 15 au 22 novembre 2010
Comprendre le passé pour mieux voir le présent.

Ce festival est né de l'idée que le cinéma est un vecteur pour se pencher sur le passé et ainsi comprendre l'histoire du XXe siècle. Autour du thème de 2010, "La fin des colonies", vous attendent une centaine de projections de films de fiction et de documentaires, des débats et des expositions. Deux remises de prix sont aussi prévues.

• Une cinquantaine de films sur le thème offrant un panorama du cinéma français et étranger, avec des œuvres du patrimoine, des classiques, des films rares ou inédits, des avant-premières, films de fiction ou documentaires.
• Des séances spéciales : avant-premières, rencontres avec les équipes (réalisateurs et comédiens)
• Des débats, des rencontres : une grande conférence inaugurale, des débats et “duels”, des cafés-ciné, réunissant de grands historiens, journalistes, spécialistes de l’image…
• Des films en compétition pour le Prix du film d’histoire
• Des expositions
• Un programme pédagogique

Voir les Films / Programmation :

• Inde/Pakistan
• Guerre d’Indochine
• Guerre d’Algérie, indépendances de la Tunisie, du Maroc
• Indépendances africaines
• La décolonisation aux 4 coins du monde

Plus d’information : Festival international du film d'histoire - La fin des colonies et Document (pdf)

[Article] Des Danois handicapés mentaux lobotomisés jusqu'en 1983.

De nombreux Danois handicapés mentaux, y compris des enfants, ont été lobotomisés entre 1947 et 1983, et plusieurs sont morts lors de cette opération, raconte jeudi dans la presse un historien qui s'apprête à publier un livre à ce sujet.

C’est une information plus que choquante qui vient d’être lancée dans ce pays nordique pourtant réputé pour ses avancées sociales.
De très nombreux Danois handicapés mentaux, comprenant adultes et aussi des enfants, ont été lobotomisés entre 1947 et 1983 !
Plus choquant encore, plusieurs sont morts lors de cette opération.
Ces révélations ont été faite ce jeudi 23 septembre dans le quotidien chrétien Kristelig Dagbladetet par un historien de la médecine Danloise, Jesper Vaczy Kragh qui s’apprête d’ailleurs à publier un livre « Det hvide snit » (L’incision blanche) qui doit sortir ce mois d’octobre.
Pour en arriver à cette déclaration consternante, l’historien a analysé les dossiers médicaux des patients traités.
Le Danemark a souvent eu recours à la lobotomie dans le cadre psychiatrique. Le but n’était pas de guérir ou de stabiliser l’affection d’un patient mais juste de le « pacifier », terme très épuré pour une réalité beaucoup plus brutale.
Environ 4500 Danois ont subi cette opération, selon les chiffres officiels.
Alors si l’on connaissait ce fait historique, qu’est ce qui cause scandale aujourd’hui ? Simplement le fait que l’on ignorait jusqu’à présent que les handicapés mentaux en faisaient partie.
Circonstance aggravante : les résultats des opérations n’étaient généralement pas bons, et certains « patients » ( 7,6 pour cent ) n’ont pas survécu !
Le ministre de la Santé Bertel Haarder a jugé essentiel de mettre en lumière ce chapitre inconnu de l’histoire pour pouvoir vivre en toute transparence avec cet épisode « noir » de la vie au Danemark .

[Source : Belga via www.handimobility.org, par Philippe Steinier]

[Allocation] KITLV post-doctoral fellowship opportunity.

KITLV post-doctoral fellowship opportunity - Medical history in early-modern Southeast Asia.

KITLV has established a scholarship for the study of Early-Modern Southeast Asia (EMSA), which is roughly defined as the period between the fifteenth century and the beginning of the Age of Modern Imperialism, around 1870.

For 2011, KITLV is looking for a historian, specialized in Southeast Asian medical history, who will participate in the KITLV project History of Health, Disease and Medicine in Southeast Asia.
KITLV invites scholars who have obtained a PhD to apply for this Postdoc position. The beneficiary of an EMSA scholarship is expected to conduct his/ her project primarily at KITLV, and to prepare a substantial publication.
The fellowship amounts to 20,000 Euros. All expenditure will have to be covered from this sum, including transport, housing, insurance, and research costs. The fellow will be given research and office facilities at KITLV, in the pleasant town of Leiden, the Netherlands.
In principle, candidates from outside the Netherlands will be expected to reside in the Netherlands during a period of 4 to 6 months. For people from the Netherlands the fellowship will cover a period of max. 3 months.

Supervision will be provided by Prof. Peter Boomgaard, senior researcher KITLV. Applications for the 2011 scholarship should include a resumé, a brief (2-3 page) research proposal, and a proposed timetable, and should be sent before 1 December 2010 to Dr. Gerry van Klinken, Acting Head of Research at KITLV (klinken@kitlv.nl).

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[Publication] Journal of Global History from Zomia special issue.

Free access to papers from Zomia
special issue

To celebrate the publication of Journal of Global History's special issue on Zomia and its acceptance into the Thomson Reuters Citation Index in only its 5th year, Cambridge Journals would like to offer you free access to a selection of papers from this issue.

• Editorial note – Zomia and beyond ; William G. Clarence-Smith
• Editorial – Zomia and beyond ; Jean Michaud
• Across Zomia with merchants, monks, and musk: process geographies, trade networks, and the Inner-East–Southeast Asian borderlands ; C. Patterson Giersch
• Borderlands and border narratives: a longitudinal study of challenges and opportunities for local traders shaped by the Sino-Vietnamese border ; Sarah Turner

To access all of these papers simply follow this link and when prompted insert the offer code: JGHZOMIA
If you are already a Cambridge Journals Online (CJO) registrant, read instructions on how to activate this offer here.

Recommend JGH
If your library doesn't yet subscribe, recommend JGH to your serials librarian with our simple online form.

P.S. It is possible to purchase a print copy of the Zomia issue for the discounted price of £15.  Please visit Journal of Global History homepage for information.

Revue de Presse : Histoire de l'art et archéologie en Asie du Sud-est.

 Les dernières nouvelles du côté des musées, de l'archéologie, de l'art et de l'histoire en Asie du Sud-est. Bonne lecture.

2,500-year-old Sa Huynh artefacts found | VNA via Nhân Dân | August 13, 2010
Thousands of Sa Huynh Culture artefacts, some dating back to the fifth century BC, have been discovered at Phu Truong in Phan Thiet after three months of excavations. [...]

Exhibition links Thang Long, Ha Long together | VNA via VOV News | August 13, 2010
An exhibition depicting the close link between the ancient capital of Thang Long and Ha Long Bay over the past 1,000 years of history opened on August 12 in Tuan Chau international resort in the coastal city of Ha Long, Quang Ninh province.[...]

Antique Tombs Found | Tempo Interaktif| August 13, 2010
Ancient tombs have been found in Loram Kulon Village, Jati District, Kudus, by land digger, Surahmat. [...]

Thieves clean up gold collection | Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | August 14, 2010
Precious historic collections from the 8th and 9th centuries — ranging from gold jewelry, gold plates and statues — have vanished from Sonobudoyo Museum in Yogyakarta. [...]

Sleuth researches enigmatic Angkor girls | Phnom Penh Post via Khmer NZ (CAAI News Media) | August 20, 2010
FLORIDA-based researcher, publisher and robot manufacturer Kent Davis is rapidly gaining an international reputation as the sleuth of Siem Reap, a new age detective delving into what he sees as one of the greatest mysteries of ancient Angkor Wat – the 1780 images of anonymous and mostly bare-breasted women depicted in carvings throughout the iconic structure. [...]

The many faces of Angkor Wat | The Cambodian Daily, via www.devata.org | August 2010

In 1927, Sappho Marchal, the 23-year-old daughter of Henri Marchal who was over­seeing restoration of monuments at Angkor Wat at the time, published a book on the hair­styles, clothes and jewelry of 1,737 sculptures of women she had located on the walls and columns of Angkor Wat.
And until recently, no archeologist or historian at Angkor had wondered why so many nearly life-size images of human beings filled the 12th century monument and why these sculptures were only of women, said Kent Davis, a researcher and publisher of DatAsia Press. [...]

Unearthed artefacts handed to museum | Viet Nam News | August 17, 2010

DIEN BIEN – More than 28,400 artefacts unearthed at six excavation sites in the Son La Hydro-electricity Plant reservoir have been handed over to the Dien Bien Museum.
The objects, unearthed by Viet Nam Archaeology Institute graduates, have been identified as being from the Palaeolithic era (around 20,000 years ago) to Neolithic (3,000-4,000 years ago). They were found at Huoi So, Tua Thang communes and Muong Lay town of Dien Bien District. [...]

Life, death and magic: 2000 years of Southeast Asian ancestral art | 13 August – 31 October 2010 | National Gallery of Australia

Life, death and magic: 2000 years of Southeast Asian ancestral art is the first major exhibition of animist art from Southeast Asia to be held in Australia. The works of art originate from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, East Timor, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia and southern China. For thousands of years, communities in these areas have created remarkable art expressing the region’s most ancient and enduring spiritual beliefs and social organisation. The exhibition celebrates the antiquity and continuity of animism as the inspiration for exquisite objects in bronze, stone, wood, gold and fibre. [...]

Remnants of a relationship | The Hindu | T.S. Subramanian | Août 19, 2010
Trade and commerce between medieval Tamil and Malay rulers were discussed at a recent meet in Malaysia.
The relationship that existed between the Bujang Valley in the present-day Malaysia and the Pallava and the Chola kingdoms in Tamil Nadu from 5th century Common Era (CE) to 12th century CE came under the spotlight at a recent conference on ‘Bujang Valley and Early Civilisations in South-East Asia,' held at Kuala Lumpur. [...]

Ancient city opens doors for millennial celebration | Thanh Nien News/Lao Dong | August 20, 2010
An area studded with royal palace relics at Thang Long Royal Citadel will be opened to the public during Hanoi’s millennial anniversary in October. [...]

Retracing the sailing bravado of Filipino ancestors | Daily Express | August 22, 2010
Kota Kinabalu: They were the first Filipino group to climb Mt Everest from its north face and reach the top not just once but three times! Now they have decided to test their mettle on something equally extraordinary. [...]

Cabinet Agrees To Make Lenggong Valley in Perak Heritage Site | Bernama | August 25, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Information Communication and Culture Ministry’s plan to make the Lenggong Valley in Perak a World Heritage Site after George Town in Penang and Melaka. [...]

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[Article] Jewel of Muscat arrives in Singapore.

Channels NewsAsia | 3 July 2010 | By Saifulbahri Ismail


The Jewel of Muscat has arrived in Singapore. A replica of a 9th century Arabian dhow, it is a gift from the Sultanate of Oman to the Government and people of Singapore.
After more than four months at sea, its journey has been described as a triumph of the human spirit.
The ship set sail from Oman and called at ports in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia on its way to Singapore. When it finally docked at the Marina Keppel Bay on Saturday, the crew were greeted by Omani dancers, and Singapore's own welcoming party.
At the welcome ceremony, President S R Nathan congratulated the crew for their successful journey. The ship will be housed as a centrepiece of Resorts World Sentosa's upcoming attraction, the Maritime Xperiential Museum.
President Nathan said: "Being at the crossroads between east and West, Singapore is a fitting place for the Jewel to be based. "Historically, ships from Arab destinations stopped in Singapore or in ports nearby to await the change of the monsoons, before continuing their journey eastwards to China or the other way."
The 18-metre long ship was built using traditional materials. Not a single nail or screw was used, and the crew stayed as true as possible to ancient sailing methods.
Saleh Said Al Jbri, captain, Jewel of Muscat, said: "She sailed fast when she wished, and she is slow as well when she so likes. "But she was keen to reach Singapore, carrying noble meaning and values, and beautiful memories of her hometown Oman."
The Jewel of Muscat project will be remembered as a testament to the excellent ties between Singapore and Oman. - CNA/ms

More informations :

- Jewel of Muscat to be housed at RWS' Maritime Xperiential Museum | Channel News Asia | By S Ramesh | 1 July 2010

- Jewel Of Muscat To Become Centrepiece Of Sentosa Maritime Museum | Bernama | By Zakaria Abdul Wahab | 1 July 2010

[Documentaire] Face à la mort. Les témoignages des prisonniers de Hô Chi Minh.

un film de Marcela FERARU

Synopsis

Hommes de troupes, colonels ou civils, ils ont choisi de témoigner pour la première fois depuis leur libération. Ce sont les prisonniers survivants des camps du Viêt-minh. Capturés ou enlevés pendant les combats de la guerre d’Indochine, ils vont devenir des matériaux de propagande et, selon la formule des commissaires politiques d’Hô Chi Minh qui les « rééduquaient » , servir ou mourir ! Pour ceux qui survivront aux privations, aux brimades et au lavage de cerveau, le retour en France ne marquera pas la fin du calvaire. Un autre combat allait commencer : faire connaître leur souffrance dans un monde indifférent et souvent hostile. Ce film est leur histoire.

Année : 2008
Durée : 87 mn (1h27)
Format : DVD-5, NB et Couleur - Pal 4/3 - Toutes zones - Dolby Digital
Prix : 14€90 TTC
Référence : FACE80
Coproduction : ECPAD et FairPress International, avec la collaboration de MCA et du Secours de France
Éditeurs : ECPAD (Établissement de Communication et de Production Audiovisuelle de la Défense) et l'ANAPI (Association nationale des Anciens Prisonniers, Internés et Déportés d'Indochine)
Distributeur : One Plus One
Collection : Cinéma des armées

Avec la participation exceptionnelle de Pierre Darcourt (journaliste et écrivain spécialiste de l'Asie du Sud-Est)
Autres informations : www.ecpad.fr/... et www.dvdfr.com/...

Conférence : Dr Lino L. Dizon [INALCO]

La section des études philippines de l’INALCO a le plaisir de vous inviter à la conférence donnée par

le Dr. Lino L. Dizon, professeur d’histoire à la
Tarlac State University, et directeur du Center for Tarlaqueño Studies sur le thème:

“Nascent Philippine Studies, 1821-1891: The Life and Labor of Jose Felipe Del-Pan”
 
Le lundi 7 juin de 10h30 à 12h30 en salle P114 (1er étage) du
Centre Universitaire Dauphine
Place du Ml de Lattre de Tassigny
75016 Paris
(métro Porte Dauphine ou RER C Avenue Foch)

[Publication] Southeast Asia in the Fifteenth Century.

The China Factor
Geoff Wade and Sun Laichen (Editors)

The fifteenth century is an enigma in Southeast Asian history - too late for classical inscriptions, and generally too early for indigenous texts or European observations. The arrival of European ships, ideas and economies in the early sixteenth century has long been seen as the origin of the early modern era in Southeast Asia, but the present collection challenges this view, suggesting that intense and lasting political and economic changes were already well underway by 1500.
The argument rests on developments such as the introduction of firearms, more intensive rice agriculture, Thai and Viet ceramic exports, Korean and Ryukyu contacts with Southeast Asia, the demise of Champa, the climax of Viet and northern Tai statecraft, the birth of the Melayu-Muslim kingship in Melaka and the creation of a new Muslim Javanese civilization on Java's north coast. Coincident with these changes, Ming China's engagement with Southeast Asia grew as a result of overland expansion into the Tai and Viet polities, state-sponsored maritime voyages, and private Chinese trade and migration to the region.
Southeast Asia in the Fifteenth Century: The China Factor draws together the great changes that occurred in Southeast Asia during the fifteenth century, and considers the extent to which Ming China's engagement with the region helped usher in the early modern period of Southeast Asian history.
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Geoff WADE is a Historian with interests in Sino-Southeast Asian interactions, comparative historiography and the use of Chinese texts as sources for Southeast Asian history.
SUN Laichen is an Associate Professor at California State University, Fullerton. He specializes in early modern Southeast Asian history, particularly the interaction between China and Mainland Southeast Asia.
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publication year: 2010
512 pages
ISBN: 978-9971-69-448-7  Paperback  US$32  S$45
Our edition is available worldwide except Hong Kong and Taiwan.
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Conférence - C. Bayly, "The Origins of Indian democracy".

Le PRI sur les îles Britanniques (EHESS), le LARCA (UFR d'Etudes anglophones, Paris-Diderot) et le séminaire franco-britannique d'histoire de Paris 4-Sorbonne (en partenariat avec l'université de Londres) accueilleront, jeudi 6 mai à 17h30 à la Maison de la Recherche de Paris 4 (28 rue Serpente, Paris 6e, salle D035) :

Christopher Bayly (St Catherine's College, Cambridge) : "The origins of Indian democracy"

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Discutants : Claude Markovits (EHESS) et Christophe Jaffrelot (CNRS-CERI)

Présentation :

Modern India is characterised by universal suffrage and a vigorous, contestatory political culture. But within this democratic system, caste, social and gender disparities persist and are even enhanced by 'reservations' and bloc voting. This paper considers the origins of this paradox in the late colonial period, focussing on the political thought and practice of leading figures such as B. R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and Rammanohar Lohia.

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Un texte sera prochainement disponible sur simple demande.

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Contact: Fabrice Bensimon .

[Article] Holding the fort.

21-03-2010

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ho Dynasty might have lasted only seven years, but parts of the family’s citadel built in Thanh Hoa province’s Vinh Loc district still stand, writes Sy Chuc. 

When the Tran Dynasty fell from power in 1400, a high ranking court mandarin by the name of Le Quy Ly seized his chance and proclaimed himself as king Ho Quy Ly.

But why did he change his family name?

Ho was Le Quy Ly’s ancestral name, which can be traced back to ninth century Zhejiang, an eastern coastal province of China. From there the family migrated south towards Vietnam. Ho Quy Ly's great-great-grandfather Ho Liem eventually settled in the province of Thanh Hoa, 100km south of Hanoi today.

But Ho Quy Ly was adopted by Le Huan, who belonged to an influential family in the royal court. He grew up to be a master politician known for his cunning, courage, and boldness. He had distinguished himself in a successful campaign against Champa and through his scheming and shrewd marriage (to a sister of Emperor Tran Due Tung and Tran Thuan Tung), Ho Quy Ly made himself a court fixture as an advisor to the emperor.

As the Tran dynasty fell asunder, he rose to prominence and by 1399 he had become the prestigious post of Protector or Regent of the country. Planning to seize power for himself, Ly decided to build a citadel, which he called Tay Do (Western Capital). He invited Emperor Tran Thuan Tong to visit this new capital.

There he convinced the emperor to relinquish his throne to Prince An (a three-year-old child) before imprisoning him in a pagoda and later executing him. Prince An “reigned” for one year until Ho Quy Ly deposed of him in 1400 before declaring himself as the new emperor.

Ho Quy Ly changed the country's name from Dai Viet (Great Viet) to Dai Ngu (Great Peace). Taking a page from the ruling book of his Tran predecessors, Ho Quy Ly reigned for less than a year before handing over the throne to his second son, Ho Han Thuong. Ho Quy Ly became known as the Emperor's Highest Father.

The Ho Dynasty was short lived, however. The country was in chaos and the Ming Dynasty of China were keen to take advantage and recapture Vietnam. In 1406, the Ming invaded and by 1407 the Ho had capitulated. Ho Quy Ly and his sons were captured and sent to Guangxi. There Ho Quy Ly was put to work as a Chinese soldier and security guard until the end of his life.

Although the leader of the most unpopular and probably the most hated dynasty in the history of Vietnam, Ho Quy Ly nevertheless initiated many economic, financial and educational reforms. The most notable reform for which Ho is credited was the introduction of a national paper currency in 1400. (...) (Read the full article here).

VietNamNet/Timeout

[Article] Searching for Zheng: China's Ming-Era Voyager

Monday, Mar. 08, 2010 | Time | By Ishaan Tharoor

One of the more famous paintings of the medieval Ming dynasty, which ruled China for about three centuries, is that of a court attendant holding a rope around a giraffe. An inscription on the side says the animal dwelled near "the corners of the western sea, in the stagnant waters of a great morass." According to legend, the giraffe was found in Africa, along with zebras and ostriches, and brought back with the grand 15th century expeditions of Zheng He, China's greatest mariner.

A worker inspects a statue of Chinese ancient voyager Zheng He (1371-1435) in preparation for a 2005 exhibition in Shanghai about Zheng's voyages (China Photos / Getty Images).

More than half a millennium later, Zheng has become a potent symbol for modern China. In 2005, the country marked the 600th anniversary of the seven voyages from 1405 to 1433 undertaken by Zheng's vast "treasure fleets" with nationwide celebrations; the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing dramatized his explorations from Southeast Asia to the Middle East and the shores of Africa. On Feb. 26, China's Ministry of Commerce announced it was funding a three-year project with the assistance of the Kenyan government to search for Ming-era vessels that had supposedly foundered off the East African coast. "Historical records indicate Chinese merchant ships sank in the seas around Kenya," Zhang Wei, a curator for a state museum, told China's official Xinhua news agency. "We hope to find wrecks of the fleet of the legendary Zheng He." (See pictures of China's investments in Africa.)
There is more than historical curiosity behind these new efforts. For centuries after his expeditions, Zheng — a Muslim eunuch — slipped out of public awareness, obscured by the rise and fall of new dynasties. Talk of his exploits was revived briefly at the beginning of the 20th century as the fledgling Chinese republic sought to build a navy in the shadow of imperial Japan. But experts say his place as a patriotic national hero has been truly cemented only in the past two decades, parallel with China's geopolitical rise — and the growth of its significant economic presence in many African nations and countries around the Indian Ocean.
The legacy of Zheng's voyages — involving hundreds of ships, some exponentially larger than the three captained by Christopher Columbus decades later, in 1492 — is being invoked by the Chinese as historical proof of the difference between China's and the West's roles in the world. Though the unprecedented display of maritime power was meant to extend the Ming dynasty's reach over a network of tributary states, Zheng rarely resorted to the type of violent, coercive measures taken for centuries by European colonizers, especially in Africa. "Zheng's a nominal symbol of China's peaceful engagement with the world," says Geoffrey Wade, a historian at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore who has translated Ming records pertaining to the voyages. "With him, it's like the Chinese have an ambassador of friendship — a sign that they aren't going to hurt anybody." (See pictures of the making of modern China.)

In recent years, though, Beijing has come under criticism (...)
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/...
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Parution : Revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine (n°56/4).

Dossier thématique "Histoire Environnementale", coordonné par F. Locher et G. Quenet.

Table des matières :

- Fabien Locher et Grégory Quenet, L'histoire environnementale : origines, enjeux et perspectives d'un nouveau chantier;
- Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, Circonvenir les circumfusa. La chimie, l'hygiénisme et la libéralisation des "choses environnantes" : France, 1750-1850;
- Fabien Locher, Les météores de la modernité : la dépression, le télégraphe et la prévision savante du temps, 1850-1914;

- Frédéric Thomas, Protection des forêts et environnementalisme colonial : Indochine, 1860-1945;
- Ronald E. Doel, Quelle place pour les sciences de l'environnement physique dans l'histoire environnementale ?

Disponible sur Cairn à l'adresse suivante : www.cairn.info/revue-d-histoire-mod... et bientôt disponible en bibliothèques.