Despite the constraints of confinement and teleworking, the EFEO continues, in France and in its centers in Asia, its research and teaching activities, and those of its administrative and research support services. I would like to thank all the researchers and staff for their mobilization in these difficult times. New initiatives have emerged, such as at the EFEO Centre in Kyoto, which was the first to offer its cycle of conferences by videoconference, with great success. The month of May is shaping up in France as the month of a gradual resumption of mobility, which gives us hope. The EFEO is actively preparing its plan for a return to activity. However, we will not be in a position to open the Maison de l'Asie and its library to the public in the immediate future, but new arrangements will be proposed from June onwards for access to documentary resources, pending a return to normal at the beginning of September. This context also allows us to become aware of the importance of digital resources and publications, a subject on which the network of French Schools Abroad is currently working. Thanks to the library team, the EFEO's HAL collection has been considerably enriched and offers greater visibility to our publications. We have chosen to present to you in this letter the activities of several archaeological worksites in Cambodia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as well as the major European projects, CRISEA and DHARMA, which mobilize many of our researchers and their collaborative networks.
Christophe Marquet Directeur de l’EFEO Legend: Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province in Cambodia: March 2019 left, March 2020 right. Photograph by Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images © The Guardian. |