Books are precious in Laos and disappear quickly from the
library and bookstores. Hopefully you guys can pool some of
your resaources and share them.
A conference would be a good idea. There was one (IABS) in BKK
four years ago which drew about 200 scholars, many of them who
work regularly or permanently in the region. The EFEO has one
almost every year which many non-EFEO scholars go to. Its
often in BKK at the Anthro. Center. They are the most talented
and nicest bunch. There is the "Informal Northern Thai" group
which meets regularly throughout the year in CM and the Thai
Studies, Lao Studies, Cambodian Studies, and Burmese Studies
conferences which regularly draw from each other. For example,
there were several Cambodian specialists at the Lao Studies
conference and Thai, Lao, and Burmese people regularly meet.
The modern Burmese scholars do their own thing usually as do
the ancient historians in Cambodia. But, eventually we all
meet up I suppose. I will be at the Burmese Studies conference
this year for example, but not at the Vietnamese. I am even
going to a conference in Malaysia. I am burning out a bit
though. Too many to keep straight.
David Wharton, Kate Crosby, and Harald Hundius are all very
smart and wonderfully gracious people. Prof. Dr. Dr. Hundius
has, with Aj. Kongdeuane Nettawong (and several other good Lao
scholars), really given the world a gift with their ms.
preservation work. David's work on the conference proceedings
was wonderful and his present work sounds intriguing. Kate's
work is stringly original. She is working on Sri Lankan texts
that will change our perception on the history of meditation
and magical practices I'm sure. I am really looking forward to
reading them.
There are indeed great people in SEA Studies in the region.
You're right, we should get together more often. I remember
when I first went to Laos 15 years ago there was no internet
of course, but also, very few people used the phone. They had
phones, but, it seemed, it was just easier to go visit each
other and have a beer.
As for the National Anthem lyrics, I think I have that
somewhere. I will look through my files tonight and try to
find something. That's a good idea.
Best,
jm
---- Original message ----
>Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 14:45:03 +0700
>From: "Eisel Mazard" <Parajanaka@...>
>Subject: [palistudy] The peculiar and the profound
>To: palistudy@yahoogroups.com
>
>Thank you very much for that citation, Justin --I would have
no other
>way of learning of such books' existence. I was shocked that
I had
>access to several important/basic books that Wharton &
Hundius were
>lacking --so, generally, we're all re-inventing the wheel
around here.
>
>There is something to be said for writing _ex nihilo_ --you
certainly
>don't reproduce the errors of others --but make errors for
yourself.
>As I recently said to a colleague, "We learn nothing from making
>errors, but only from noticing and redressing them".
Hopefully, we'll
>have enough scholars in mutual correspondence around here to draw
>attention to one-another's errors.
>
>If you look at the number of Western scholars found variously in
>Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Vientiane,
you have
>a varied and interesting pool of talent --but they do not
have any
>common plenary or conference, nor any common contact with an
>instituion in the region. It would be fruitful to somehow
put (e.g.)
>the Center for Khmer studies (Siem Reap) into contact with
the Center
>for Burmese Studies in Chiang Rai, etc. etc. --currently,
we're all
>isolated.
>
>Although I now "know" Harald & David, we still have no
"affiliation"
>in any kind of philological organization; I even have e-mail with
>Filliozat & Skilling once in a while (they're both in
Bangkok) --but
>none of these people know one-another.
>
>We should talk to Kate Crosby and get SOAS to have an annual
>conference in Champasak or something. We could all worship
the giant
>stone elephant.
>
>On an even sillier note: do you have (or know of) any publication
>where I could find the (Lao) lyrics for the various National
Anthems
>and Patriotic songs that I see/hear on Lao TV? This would be
a really
>useful means of language practice for me --but I can't sing
along if I
>don't first study the words on paper, decode them with a
dictionary,
>etc.
>
>E.M.
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
2617 Humanities Building
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
909-827-4530
justinm@...