To Write a History Manoa, Volume 34, Number 2, 2022, pp. 179-185 (Article), 2023
In Myanmar today, the simplest utterance is punishable as the defamation
of the state. A song, a ... more In Myanmar today, the simplest utterance is punishable as the defamation of the state. A song, a poem, a music video, an elegy are all open invitations to a cowardly regime to pursue their authors with impunity. Official retribution for such expressive acts is governed by Myanmar’s penal code, an heirloom of the colonial era, and ranges from imprisonment without trial to the death penalty— invoked in July 2022 for the first time in thirty years to hang four regime opponents, including a former lawmaker and a veteran democracy activist. Extra-judicial brakes on expression include arbitrary execution, torture, and persecution of family members. Since February 2021, when Myanmar’s military leadership staged a coup, thousands of civilians have been gunned down in broad daylight for peaceful assembly, penning a slogan, voicing an opinion, posting on social media, or singing out loud.
Archaeological research and scientific discovery continue to reveal new layers of Angkor's existe... more Archaeological research and scientific discovery continue to reveal new layers of Angkor's existence, while epigraphic and philological research drill ever deeper into the temples' inscriptions. The depth and granularity of such scholarship seem at odds with the icon of Angkor Wat, instantly decipherable, whether on the Cambodian flag, a UNESCO website, or tattooed in body ink. But both archaeologist and iconographer share a fascination with Angkor in situ. In this chapter I argue that Angkor has only ever existed in relation to elsewhere and explore how the temple derives its meaning from other places and other eras. There is nothing inherently new in this argument. Sheldon Pollock has emphasised Angkor's linkage to a Sanskrit cosmopolis, Ashley Thompson has established Angkor's meaning as a site of pilgrimage in the mediaeval to early modern era, and Ang Choulean has documented the polylingual inscriptions of the temple over time (Thompson 2004; Pollock 2009; Ang 2013). But where that body of scholarship begins with the runes of Angkor, and works outward from them, this chapter works back to Angkor through poetry and song. Inspired by Angkor Wat and written and circulated off-site, these mobile inscriptions enabled Cambodians to navigate episodes of loss and trauma and created circuits of collective memory in ways that often skirted the national. 'In music and songs there are no borders', reflected drummer Ouk Sam Art, reminiscing about Cambodia's music industry in the 1960s and 1970s (Pirozzi 2014). Poetry and song conjure the paradox of Angkor's ephemeral endurance, in Cambodia and among its diaspora. As the anthropologist Maurice Bloch famously argued, 'You cannot argue with a song' (Bloch 1974, 71 his emphasis). Written at significant historical junctures of 20th-century Cambodia, these texts are works in motion. Unlike the inscriptions at the temple, their function is not to record an act but rather to enact a relationship between the writer, the reader/listener, and the temples. These lyrical fragments offer a wide-angle view of Angkor as a site of heritage that is at once national and global, tangible and intangible. The first text I consider, Niras Nokor Vat (Journey to Angkor Wat) was composed at a time of political transition by the polymath intellectual and ethicist Suttantaprija Ind, to commemorate the retrocession of Siem Reap-annexed by Siam in 1794-to Cambodia in 1909 (Ind 1934). Written in the niras verse form also popular in Siam, where it is known as nirat, the poem was completed between 1909 to 1915, initially circulated in handwritten copies, and broke posthumously into print in a 1934 issue of the Buddhist Institute journal Kambuja Surya.
Accounts of Buddhism in Thailand, Burma and Cambodia offer detailed descriptions of ‘the power at... more Accounts of Buddhism in Thailand, Burma and Cambodia offer detailed descriptions of ‘the power attributed to inscribed amulets, tattoos, and related forms of writing’ (p. 8). But earlier scholarship on Southeast Asia ‘often looked down on non-literary uses of script’, treating it as either a ‘non-Buddhist “cultural” accretion or the ignoble trappings of popular superstition’ (p. 8). Such judgements were based on an idealised conception of Buddhism that focused on canonical scripture, and congealed under colonial rule. Where Richard Fox finds a fruitful ‘indeterminacy’ in theaksaraof Bali, colonial scholarship tended towards overdetermination, creating a rigid hierarchy of Buddhist scriptural forms. Pali, the language in which generations of monks had chanted, thought and wrote, was deemed ‘less than’ Sanskrit, but ‘more than’ the plethora of indigenous languages of the region.
On 9 December 2020, a group of scholars of Southeast Asia gathered over Zoom as part of the Ameri... more On 9 December 2020, a group of scholars of Southeast Asia gathered over Zoom as part of the American Academy of Religion’s annual conference for a special roundtable: “New Decade, New Directions: Advancing the Study of Southeast Asian Religions”. This session considered key works in the study of Southeast Asian religions from the last decade and discussed ways the field should develop over the next decade. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines charted a collaborative historiography that we are happy to share with SOJOURN readers in this special package. We also offer glimpses into each author’s new research projects. This package, then, offers a knowing glance back at important scholarship from the 2010s and a promising picture of where the 2020s could take the study of religion in Southeast Asia. This section features scholarship from a diverse range of disciplines, including history, anthropology, gender studies, literary studies, media studies and ritual studies. It encompasses multiple Southeast Asian locations, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Southwest China, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. To harmonize our multi-vocal collaboration, each of our eight
... Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin, 1996), pp. 25–42. Page 2. ... Worried that ... more ... Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin, 1996), pp. 25–42. Page 2. ... Worried that he'll soon leave her for one of the many hussies (srey kouch) at the market, she decides to abandon her children instead, so that he'll have no reason to tell her to stay at home. She takes ...
Dear Reader, This paper is one of several 'sleeping princesses'(of the Shrek variety), work prese... more Dear Reader, This paper is one of several 'sleeping princesses'(of the Shrek variety), work presented at conferences and since dormant. Since the paper is now legally 'adult' at 18 +, I thought I'd set it loose on the world, warts and all. Needless to say, it has not matured in the past 18 years! The paper draws on archival materials concerning Burmese and British women active in colonial women's organizations, from the British Library and the National Library of Australia. These references may be useful to scholars. As the title suggests, a key argument is that Burmese gender identity was mapped by colonial administrators, missionaries and others through the prism of British India. Researched and written in 2000, this paper has since been massively eclipsed by the works of other scholars, notably Chie Ikeya, who has done much more extensive research on the representations and lives of women in colonial Burma, working with
... In 1962, General Ne Win inaugurated a near half-century of military rule in Burma, but not un... more ... In 1962, General Ne Win inaugurated a near half-century of military rule in Burma, but not until 1988 did domestic and international outrage at the state massacre of thousands of civilians in Rangoon and Mandalay focus state attention on a ... 66. Yee, Golden Shwedagon, pp 9–11 ...
Fashion Theory the Journal of Dress Body Culture, 2001
... In nineteenth-century Java, emerging notions of Dutch fashion and Javanese fashion paired... more ... In nineteenth-century Java, emerging notions of Dutch fashion and Javanese fashion paired costume with custom, and proved central to the ... were quick to adopt and adapt such Western accoutrements as felt hats, caps, berets, decorations, medals, shoes, socks or stockings ...
... In 1962, General Ne Win inaugurated a near half-century of military rule in Burma, but not un... more ... In 1962, General Ne Win inaugurated a near half-century of military rule in Burma, but not until 1988 did domestic and international outrage at the state massacre of thousands of civilians in Rangoon and Mandalay focus state attention on a ... 66. Yee, Golden Shwedagon, pp 9–11 ...
... de Bruce hững người Á-Âu: Kỷ niệm sự sống sót 129-141 Christine Choo Lịch ... Echchaibi 301 ... more ... de Bruce hững người Á-Âu: Kỷ niệm sự sống sót 129-141 Christine Choo Lịch ... Echchaibi 301 316 Những lịch sử về quyền sở hữu: Những nam thanh niên ThổNhĩ Kỳ thế hệ thứ 2 ở Áo Paul Scheibelhofer 317 330 Sự tôn trọng ...
To Write a History Manoa, Volume 34, Number 2, 2022, pp. 179-185 (Article), 2023
In Myanmar today, the simplest utterance is punishable as the defamation
of the state. A song, a ... more In Myanmar today, the simplest utterance is punishable as the defamation of the state. A song, a poem, a music video, an elegy are all open invitations to a cowardly regime to pursue their authors with impunity. Official retribution for such expressive acts is governed by Myanmar’s penal code, an heirloom of the colonial era, and ranges from imprisonment without trial to the death penalty— invoked in July 2022 for the first time in thirty years to hang four regime opponents, including a former lawmaker and a veteran democracy activist. Extra-judicial brakes on expression include arbitrary execution, torture, and persecution of family members. Since February 2021, when Myanmar’s military leadership staged a coup, thousands of civilians have been gunned down in broad daylight for peaceful assembly, penning a slogan, voicing an opinion, posting on social media, or singing out loud.
Archaeological research and scientific discovery continue to reveal new layers of Angkor's existe... more Archaeological research and scientific discovery continue to reveal new layers of Angkor's existence, while epigraphic and philological research drill ever deeper into the temples' inscriptions. The depth and granularity of such scholarship seem at odds with the icon of Angkor Wat, instantly decipherable, whether on the Cambodian flag, a UNESCO website, or tattooed in body ink. But both archaeologist and iconographer share a fascination with Angkor in situ. In this chapter I argue that Angkor has only ever existed in relation to elsewhere and explore how the temple derives its meaning from other places and other eras. There is nothing inherently new in this argument. Sheldon Pollock has emphasised Angkor's linkage to a Sanskrit cosmopolis, Ashley Thompson has established Angkor's meaning as a site of pilgrimage in the mediaeval to early modern era, and Ang Choulean has documented the polylingual inscriptions of the temple over time (Thompson 2004; Pollock 2009; Ang 2013). But where that body of scholarship begins with the runes of Angkor, and works outward from them, this chapter works back to Angkor through poetry and song. Inspired by Angkor Wat and written and circulated off-site, these mobile inscriptions enabled Cambodians to navigate episodes of loss and trauma and created circuits of collective memory in ways that often skirted the national. 'In music and songs there are no borders', reflected drummer Ouk Sam Art, reminiscing about Cambodia's music industry in the 1960s and 1970s (Pirozzi 2014). Poetry and song conjure the paradox of Angkor's ephemeral endurance, in Cambodia and among its diaspora. As the anthropologist Maurice Bloch famously argued, 'You cannot argue with a song' (Bloch 1974, 71 his emphasis). Written at significant historical junctures of 20th-century Cambodia, these texts are works in motion. Unlike the inscriptions at the temple, their function is not to record an act but rather to enact a relationship between the writer, the reader/listener, and the temples. These lyrical fragments offer a wide-angle view of Angkor as a site of heritage that is at once national and global, tangible and intangible. The first text I consider, Niras Nokor Vat (Journey to Angkor Wat) was composed at a time of political transition by the polymath intellectual and ethicist Suttantaprija Ind, to commemorate the retrocession of Siem Reap-annexed by Siam in 1794-to Cambodia in 1909 (Ind 1934). Written in the niras verse form also popular in Siam, where it is known as nirat, the poem was completed between 1909 to 1915, initially circulated in handwritten copies, and broke posthumously into print in a 1934 issue of the Buddhist Institute journal Kambuja Surya.
Accounts of Buddhism in Thailand, Burma and Cambodia offer detailed descriptions of ‘the power at... more Accounts of Buddhism in Thailand, Burma and Cambodia offer detailed descriptions of ‘the power attributed to inscribed amulets, tattoos, and related forms of writing’ (p. 8). But earlier scholarship on Southeast Asia ‘often looked down on non-literary uses of script’, treating it as either a ‘non-Buddhist “cultural” accretion or the ignoble trappings of popular superstition’ (p. 8). Such judgements were based on an idealised conception of Buddhism that focused on canonical scripture, and congealed under colonial rule. Where Richard Fox finds a fruitful ‘indeterminacy’ in theaksaraof Bali, colonial scholarship tended towards overdetermination, creating a rigid hierarchy of Buddhist scriptural forms. Pali, the language in which generations of monks had chanted, thought and wrote, was deemed ‘less than’ Sanskrit, but ‘more than’ the plethora of indigenous languages of the region.
On 9 December 2020, a group of scholars of Southeast Asia gathered over Zoom as part of the Ameri... more On 9 December 2020, a group of scholars of Southeast Asia gathered over Zoom as part of the American Academy of Religion’s annual conference for a special roundtable: “New Decade, New Directions: Advancing the Study of Southeast Asian Religions”. This session considered key works in the study of Southeast Asian religions from the last decade and discussed ways the field should develop over the next decade. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines charted a collaborative historiography that we are happy to share with SOJOURN readers in this special package. We also offer glimpses into each author’s new research projects. This package, then, offers a knowing glance back at important scholarship from the 2010s and a promising picture of where the 2020s could take the study of religion in Southeast Asia. This section features scholarship from a diverse range of disciplines, including history, anthropology, gender studies, literary studies, media studies and ritual studies. It encompasses multiple Southeast Asian locations, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Southwest China, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. To harmonize our multi-vocal collaboration, each of our eight
... Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin, 1996), pp. 25–42. Page 2. ... Worried that ... more ... Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin, 1996), pp. 25–42. Page 2. ... Worried that he'll soon leave her for one of the many hussies (srey kouch) at the market, she decides to abandon her children instead, so that he'll have no reason to tell her to stay at home. She takes ...
Dear Reader, This paper is one of several 'sleeping princesses'(of the Shrek variety), work prese... more Dear Reader, This paper is one of several 'sleeping princesses'(of the Shrek variety), work presented at conferences and since dormant. Since the paper is now legally 'adult' at 18 +, I thought I'd set it loose on the world, warts and all. Needless to say, it has not matured in the past 18 years! The paper draws on archival materials concerning Burmese and British women active in colonial women's organizations, from the British Library and the National Library of Australia. These references may be useful to scholars. As the title suggests, a key argument is that Burmese gender identity was mapped by colonial administrators, missionaries and others through the prism of British India. Researched and written in 2000, this paper has since been massively eclipsed by the works of other scholars, notably Chie Ikeya, who has done much more extensive research on the representations and lives of women in colonial Burma, working with
... In 1962, General Ne Win inaugurated a near half-century of military rule in Burma, but not un... more ... In 1962, General Ne Win inaugurated a near half-century of military rule in Burma, but not until 1988 did domestic and international outrage at the state massacre of thousands of civilians in Rangoon and Mandalay focus state attention on a ... 66. Yee, Golden Shwedagon, pp 9–11 ...
Fashion Theory the Journal of Dress Body Culture, 2001
... In nineteenth-century Java, emerging notions of Dutch fashion and Javanese fashion paired... more ... In nineteenth-century Java, emerging notions of Dutch fashion and Javanese fashion paired costume with custom, and proved central to the ... were quick to adopt and adapt such Western accoutrements as felt hats, caps, berets, decorations, medals, shoes, socks or stockings ...
... In 1962, General Ne Win inaugurated a near half-century of military rule in Burma, but not un... more ... In 1962, General Ne Win inaugurated a near half-century of military rule in Burma, but not until 1988 did domestic and international outrage at the state massacre of thousands of civilians in Rangoon and Mandalay focus state attention on a ... 66. Yee, Golden Shwedagon, pp 9–11 ...
... de Bruce hững người Á-Âu: Kỷ niệm sự sống sót 129-141 Christine Choo Lịch ... Echchaibi 301 ... more ... de Bruce hững người Á-Âu: Kỷ niệm sự sống sót 129-141 Christine Choo Lịch ... Echchaibi 301 316 Những lịch sử về quyền sở hữu: Những nam thanh niên ThổNhĩ Kỳ thế hệ thứ 2 ở Áo Paul Scheibelhofer 317 330 Sự tôn trọng ...
SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, 2021
This special section considers key works in the study of Southeast Asian religions from the last ... more This special section considers key works in the study of Southeast Asian religions from the last decade and discusses ways the field should develop over the next decade. It features scholarship from a diverse range of disciplines, including history, anthropology, gender studies, literary studies, media studies and ritual studies. It encompasses multiple Southeast Asian locations, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Southwest China, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. To harmonize our multi-vocal collaboration, each of our eight contributors first highlights a monograph or journal article from the last decade that they find important in advancing the field and then relates how a particular research project of theirs seeks to further that advancement.
La réforme politique en Birmanie pendant le premier moment colonial (1819–1878) by Aurore Candier (review), 2023
This impressive study throws a gauntlet at prevailing British and European schemas of nineteenth ... more This impressive study throws a gauntlet at prevailing British and European schemas of nineteenth century Burma as a trifecta of colonial conquest (1824, 1852, and 1885) and Burmese collapse. Focusing on the period between 1819 and1878, historian Aurore Candier resets both the clock and the lens, shifting the perspective to success through the prism of political reform. Across these six decades, Candier reminds us, the Burmese court managed to maintain its sovereignty in the north and center, even as its western and coastal territories were being nibbled away and absorbed into British India. The riddle of this central resilience is at the heart of this book. The book's title, with its postcolonial gesture to the "moment," would have confused key actors from the period, whose thought-worlds and administrative antics Candier so deftly illuminates. For as Candier demonstrates through meticulous research and innovative analysis, this was no "moment" but an extended period of transition and adaptation. As tensions arose between the notions of "cyclical reform" embedded in scriptural traditions, enshrined in prophecies, and reinforced by ritual calendars and alternative agendas of "social reform"
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Papers by Penny Edwards
of the state. A song, a poem, a music video, an elegy are all open invitations to a cowardly regime to pursue their authors with impunity. Official retribution for such expressive acts is governed by Myanmar’s penal code, an heirloom of the colonial era, and ranges from imprisonment without trial to the death penalty— invoked in July 2022 for the first time in thirty years to hang four regime opponents, including a former lawmaker and a veteran democracy activist. Extra-judicial brakes on expression include arbitrary execution, torture, and persecution of family members. Since February 2021, when Myanmar’s military leadership staged a coup, thousands of civilians have been gunned down in broad daylight for peaceful assembly, penning a slogan, voicing an opinion,
posting on social media, or singing out loud.
of the state. A song, a poem, a music video, an elegy are all open invitations to a cowardly regime to pursue their authors with impunity. Official retribution for such expressive acts is governed by Myanmar’s penal code, an heirloom of the colonial era, and ranges from imprisonment without trial to the death penalty— invoked in July 2022 for the first time in thirty years to hang four regime opponents, including a former lawmaker and a veteran democracy activist. Extra-judicial brakes on expression include arbitrary execution, torture, and persecution of family members. Since February 2021, when Myanmar’s military leadership staged a coup, thousands of civilians have been gunned down in broad daylight for peaceful assembly, penning a slogan, voicing an opinion,
posting on social media, or singing out loud.