Gregory Kourilsky
Lecturer
Aire(s) géographique(s)
Peninsular Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam)
Discipline(s)
Historical anthropology, Religious anthropology, Epigraphy, History of religions, Philology
Date d'entrée à l'EFEO
01/2020
Affectation
Liens externes
Gregory Kourilsky
Lecturer
Aire(s) géographique(s)
Peninsular Southeast Asia (excluding Vietnam)
Discipline(s)
Historical anthropology, Religious anthropology, Epigraphy, History of religions, Philology
Thèmes de recherche
History of Buddhism in Southeast Asia
Religious Texts and Practices in Peninsular Southeast Asia
Legal traditions of Thailand and Laos
Epigraphy of Thailand
Buddhism and Colonialism in Cambodia and Laos
Axes de recherche EFEO
Law, legislation, normativity
Digital heritage and humanities
Religions, representations, and powers
Research in progress
Identification and inventory of handwritten legal codes from the ancient kingdom of Lanna (in what is now northern Thailand), mainly preserved in the libraries of Buddhist monasteries. These texts are generally recorded in manuscripts on leaves of the latanier tree (Corypha lecomtei) or on mulberry paper (Broussonetia papyrifera). The handwritten copies generally date from the 18th and 19th centuries, but the compositions may be older. This preliminary project should ultimately lead to the creation of an online digital library in collaboration with the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Center (Bangkok).
Philological study (conducted in collaboration with François Lagirarde) of the Bualapantha (Pavarabandha in Pali), a meditation text from the Buddhist tradition of northern Thailand and Laos. It addresses the themes of death, rebirth, and meditation as a means of reaching “the city of Nibbâna.”
Study of the recently discovered epigraphic corpus in the Fang River basin (Chiang Mai province, Thailand). Conducted jointly with Thai researchers, this project aims to contribute to the history of the spread of Buddhism in the 15th and 16th centuries in this part of the ancient kingdom of Lanna, bordering Burma.
Audio-visual documentation relating to the Buddhist ceremony of Pha Vet celebrating the last life of the Bodhisattva as recounted in the Vessantara-jâtaka. Unknown in the Indian or Sinhalese traditions, from which the text originates, this ceremony is celebrated with great fervor by Buddhists in Laos and northeastern Thailand. It is accompanied by a rich narrative, homiletic, and liturgical corpus, as well as ritual and material elements specific to this region—in particular theatrical performances and processions adorned with long painted or woven banners.
Research project
Études et formation
- 2003, Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Languages, Literature, and Civilizations, specializing in Southeast Asia, Lao language, INALCO
- 2005, Diploma of Advanced Studies and Research (DREA), Lao Studies, INALCO
- 2006, Master’s degree, “Historical, Philological, and Religious Sciences,” EPHE
- 2007, Single-language diploma in Oriental Languages and Civilizations, Cambodian language (Khmer), INALCO
- 2015, Doctorate in Religious Anthropology and History of Religions, EPHE, Section V
Parcours professionnel à l’EFEO
- Project manager (publications department), 2006 to 2007
- Head of distribution, 2006 to 2007
- Research fellow (EFEO center in Vientiane), 2007 to 2008
- Associate researcher, 2017 to 2019
- Lecturer since 2020
- Head of the Bangkok Center since 2021
Parcours professionnel en dehors de l’EFEO
- Lecturer at INALCO (History of Thailand and Laos), 2008 to 2009
- Contractual lecturer and researcher at INALCO (Head of the Laotian Language and Civilization Section), 2010 to 2013
- Research fellow at the University of Bristol, 2013 to 2015
Translated with DeepL.com
Bibliographie (HAL)
Chapitres d‘ouvrage
Grégory Kourilsky. Candakuman, version laotienne du Candakumara-jataka (ou Khandahala-jataka) pâli. La Découverte de l’Est. Raretés de la bibliothèque de la Société asiatique, 2022. ⟨halshs-03627346⟩
Grégory Kourilsky. Jours propices, jours funestes: calendriers traditionnels en milieu bouddhiste thaï. Alain Arrault; Olivier Guyotjeannin; Perrine Mane. Calendriers d’Europe et d’Asie, École nationale des Chartes; Editions des Cendres, 2021. ⟨halshs-03137286⟩
Grégory Kourilsky. The Institut Bouddhique in Laos: Ambivalent Dynamics of a Colonial Project. Thomas Borchert. Theravada Buddhism in Colonial Contexts, Routledge, pp.162-186, 2018. ⟨halshs-03136003⟩
Grégory Kourilsky. The Unhissavijaya-sutta in Thailand and Laos: a Philological Approach. Kata me rakkha, kata me paritta. Protecting the protective texts and manuscripts. Materials for the Study of the Tripitaka, volume 14, pp.1-54, 2018. ⟨halshs-02914069⟩
Articles dans une revue
Grégory Kourilsky. [Compte rendu] Cold War Monks: Buddhism and America’s Secret Strategy in Southeast Asia, de Eugene Ford. Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient, 2021, pp.535-540. ⟨halshs-03627340⟩
Grégory Kourilsky. Writing Pali Texts in 16th Century Lan Na (Northern Thailand): The Life and Work of Sirimaṅgala. Journal of the Pali Text Society , 2021, 34, pp.69-124. ⟨halshs-03137292⟩
Notices d‘encyclopédie ou de dictionnaire
Grégory Kourilsky. École française d’Extrême-Orient (œuvre au Laos). Encyclopédie de la Colonisation française, 2018. ⟨halshs-03136014⟩
Grégory Kourilsky. Bouddhisme laotien. Encyclopédie de la Colonisation française, 2017. ⟨halshs-03136019⟩