EFEO Newsletter

Newsletter

November 2023

Content

Research news
- Agenda
- Centres
- Researchers
- Lectures
- Publications
- Research Services

Staff and service news
- Director
- Staff
- Library

Of particular note
- Winter School in Buddhist Textual Scholarship

Research news

Agenda

Shiva dancing in the braziers of the cremation fields, Gwalior Fort Museum, Madhya Pradesh, India (photographer P. Z. Pattabiraman, EFEO/IFP joint collection, EFEO-IFP02362_9, 1961)

Friday, November 3 - Paris

The photographic exhibition Shiva, le dieu qui savait danser (Shiva, the god who knew how to dance) opens on November 3 on the 1st floor of the EFEO.

Shiva, one of the gods of the Indian Trimurti alongside Brahma and Visnu, is polymorphous. Dancing Shiva myths depict a conquering deity who liberates the world from the grip of demons and, at times, death itself. However, as a fierce and bloody god, he has long favored dancing in the braziers of cremation fields, accompanied by mischievous little demons.

Photo: Shiva dancing in the braziers of the cremation fields, Gwalior Fort Museum, Madhya Pradesh, India (photographer P. Z. Pattabiraman, EFEO/IFP joint collection, EFEO-IFP02362_9, 1961).

Assembling the blocks and fragments of the bust, pelvis, arms and legs, held in place by straps before fixing, Conservation d'Angkor, Cambodia (Eric Boudonneau, 2023)

This exhibition also presents the first steps in the restoration of the monumental dancing Shiva with five heads and ten arms from the Khmer site of Koh Ker (Cambodia), which has been the object of much looting. Since 2013, a Franco-Khmer team led by Éric Bourdonneau has been working on its restoration.

Photo: Assembling the blocks and fragments of the bust, pelvis, arms and legs, held in place by straps before fixing, Conservation d'Angkor, Cambodia (Eric Boudonneau, 2023).

Monday, November 6 - Paris

EFEO Paris seminar

As part of the program of the Master in Asian Studies, the library and photo library teams will present the EFEO's collections and an exhibition of its precious collections.

This seminar is part of Sequence 1, entitled "Qu’est-ce que l’Asie ? Aires culturelles, histoire et sciences sociales", part of the common core curriculum of the Master in Asian Studies.

From 9am to 11am. On-site, in the EFEO's Grand Salon, library and photo library.

Monday, November 6 - Taipei

Josiane Cauquelin (honorary researcher, CNRS) gives a lecture at the Institute of Ethnology (IOE) of the Academia Sinica on "The Inevitable Extinction of Shamanism in Puyuma (Nanwang)", organized jointly by the EFEO and the IOE.

At 2 pm, Lecture Hall R2319, IOE, Academia Sinica.

On-site and online.

Tuesday, November 7 - Paris

The second edition of the study days organized at Inalco by the Société des Amis de Paul Mus (with the support of the EFEO, CASE-UMR 8170 and GSRL-UMR 8582) will focus on "'Ce que porte le sol asien', Paul Mus et la fabrique de l'ethnologie".

EFEO participants will include:

- Éric Bourdonneau: "Instant germinal, topologie, jeu de miroirs et 'face partout' : éléments d'archéologie mussienne du politique sur le sol asien, de L'Inde vue de l'Est aux Masques d'Angkor"

- Yves Goudineau: "L’œuvre de Mus comme anthropologie du ‘lieu’ – de la pierre au temple, du village au palais"

Program and registration

Tuesday, November 7 - Taipei

Marie-Paule Hille (EHESS) gives a lecture at the Academia Sinica's Institut of Modern History (IMH) as part of the Cycle de conférences French Historical Research and the Modern Era organized by the EFEO and the IMH.

Her talk is entitled "The Role of Muslims in the Economic History of Northwest China (19th-20th Century): The Case of Xidaotang and its Trading Establishment Tian Xing Long".

At 3pm, Conference Room 2, Archive Building, IMH, Academia Sinica.

Lidar view of the Vat Phu site - ancient city (© Projet CHAMPA)

Wednesday, November 8 - Vientiane

As part of the celebration of 70 years of bilateral cooperation between France and Laos, and the prospect of a new funding agreement between the EFEO and the AFD (extension of the CHAMPA project until 2028), the Vientiane Center is organizing an international conference entitled "Archaeological research and heritage preservation in southern Laos". Nicolas Fiévé and 11 researchers from the EFEO or associated with the institution will be present.

Thirteen papers will be presented:

- Lidar technology in South-Laos and Cambodia (Christophe Pottier and Viengkeo Souksavatdy)

- Analysis of the Lidar data and research (David Bazin, Sibounheuang Phimmasenh and Vilasak Phongsawath)

- The treasure of Nong Hua Thong: archaeological and technical analysis (Brice Vincent, Christine Hawixbrock and Viengkeo Souksavatdy)

- Archaeological research on Nong Hua Thong site (Nicolas Nauleau and Nitixay Khamphoumy)

- Archaeological research on Huay Sa Hua 2 site (Nicolas Nauleau and Nitixay Khamphoumy)

- Archaeological research on Vat Sang O 5 site (Christine Hawixbrock, Souliya Bounxaythip and Champhenh Phommavangdy)

- 3D digital documentation method for Hong Nang Sida temple (Minkyeong Yun and Chanthiva Keopanya)

- Safegarding the religious artistic heritage: the case of Vat Taleo Kao (David Wharton)

- Modelling and architectural restoration in Southern-Laos (Maric Beaufeist and Vissa Chanthaphasouk)

- New data on the archaeological and historical heritage of Southern-Laos (Michel Lorrillard)

- The Sanscritic inscriptions of South-Laos (Dominic Goodall)

- Conservation, restoration and museography in Champassak and Savannakhet provinces (Bertrand Porte and Soubanh Khanhaphun)

- Historical ceramics recovered at the Sepon mining tenement site (Naho Shimizu)

Photo: Lidar view of the Vat Phu site - ancient city (© Projet CHAMPA).

Thursday, November 9 - Taipei

François Gipouloux (EHESS) will give a lecture entitled "Maritime Asia as a Relevant Paradigm in Global History" at the Institute of Modern History (IMH) of the Academia Sinica as part of the Cycle de conférences French Historical Research and the Modern Era organized by the EFEO and the IMH.

At 3pm, Conference Room 2, Archive Building, IMH, Academia Sinica.

Friday, November 10 - Kyoto

The EFEO's Kyoto Center, the Center for Innovative Informatics of the Humanities and the Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, are organizing an international colloquium on "Preservation and Revitalization of Cultural Heritage in Central Asia".

Speakers include: Iwai Shunpei (Ryūkoku Museum, Ryūkoku University), Henri-Paul Francfort (Institut de France), Corinne Debaine-Francfort (CNRS), Stefan Baums (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) and Inaba Minoru (Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University).

At the Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University, Seminar room 1 (1F), November 10, at 1:30pm (Japan time).

On-site and online, with registration (before November 7).

Tuesday, November 14 - Hong Kong

Marco Caboara (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) will give alecture entitled "The First Printed Missionary Map of East Asia- Hybrid Cartography and Propaganda", as part of the lecture series The Backgrounds of the Chinese Maps : Their Reading and Understanding, organized jointly by the EFEO, the Institute of Chinese Studies (Chinese University of Hong Kong) and the Lee Shau Kee Library (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology).

At the Digital Scholarship Lab, G/F, University Library, CUHK, from 4:30pm to 6:30pm (local time).

Follow online

Wednesday, November 22 - Kyoto

As part of the "Kyoto lectures", Ellis Tinios (University of Leeds) gives a lecture on "“Hokusai” : The Name that Sold Books".

At 6pm (Japan time), online on the Zoom platform. The password for logging in are posted on the Kyoto Center's blog.

Movement of March 1, 1919 © The Financial news, 25.2.2019

Thursday, November 23 - Seoul

The LIV Seoul Colloquium in Korea Studies, organized by the EFEO Center in Seoul, in collaboration with the Royal Asiatic Society, is led by Deborah Solomon, Senior Lecturer, Department of East Asian History, Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio, on the topic "Controlling Narratives: 1919 Seoul Press Pamphlets and the March First Movement"

At 6:00 p.m. (Seoul time), Grand Conference Room (#310), Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University: register with the EFEO Center.

Photo: Movement of March 1, 1919 © The Financial news, 25.2.2019.

Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 - Paris

As part of the "Destins d'objets: la circulation des traces matérielles du passé de l'Antiquité à nos jours" program run by the École française d'Athènes and accredited by the Réseau des Écoles françaises à l'étranger, the EFEO is hosting the study days "Dispersions: partage de fouilles et commerce des vestiges en Asie, au Moyen-Orient et en Europe aux XIXe et XXe siècles".

Thursday, November 23, from 9:45 am to 6 pm and Friday, November 24, from 9:45 am to 1:15 pm, in the Grand Salon of the EFEO, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 Paris.

Centres

Chiang Mai

A look back at the visit of the French Minister for Higher Education and Research

On the occasion of her official visit to Thailand, the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau, was welcomed on October 21, 2023 at the EFEO center in Chiang Mai, by EFEO Director Nicolas Fiévé, the head of the EFEO Center in Chiang Mai Christophe Pottier, and all the center's staff and the many researchers on site.

Accompanied by H.E. Jean-Claude Poimboeuf, the new French Ambassador to Thailand, the Minister responsible for the EFEO was invited to tour the center's various facilities, punctuated for the occasion by presentations from several researchers on projects carried out by the EFEO in the country and in the region: epigraphy of the Fang River basin, DHARMA (ERC project), archaeological projects in Angkor, CHAMPA (AFD project) and Archaeoscape.ai (ERC project). For over an hour, the Minister discussed with EFEO researchers their projects, local and international partnerships, and the development of cutting-edge methods and technologies.

Reception for Chiang Mai's scientific community

On the occasion of the official visit to Thailand of Sylvie Retailleau, French Minister of Higher Education and Research, the EFEO organized a reception for the scientific community on the evening of October 21, 2023 at the EFEO Center in Chiang Mai. In the presence of H.E. Jean-Claude Poimboeuf, Ambassador of France to Thailand, EFEO Director Nicolas Fiévé, followed by the Minister, delivered a speech praising the quality of Franco-Thai scientific collaboration.

The evening was attended by over 70 guests, including consular representatives and numerous local and international academics and researchers, including several EFEO partners, with whom the Minister and her cabinet had the opportunity to discuss various cooperation projects.

Visit to Vat Phra Singh

Before concluding her official visit to Thailand and flying on to Singapore, the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau, and her delegation visited Vat Phra Singh on October 22, 2023, led by Christophe Pottier, Grégory Kourilsky and Michel Lorrillard, respectively in charge of the Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Vientiane centers. They were accompanied by H.E. Jean-Claude Poimboeuf, French Ambassador to Thailand, and EFEO Director Nicolas Fiévé.

CHAMPA internal EFEO seminar

From October 21 to 23, the EFEO center in Chiang Mai welcomed a dozen EFEO researchers for an internal seminar on the CHAMPA project.

This large-scale, complex project is financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and the EFEO in the provinces of Champassak and Savannakhet in Laos. It is currently at the half-way stage, and on the threshold of a substantial extension that should take it through to 2028. It was therefore important to bring together the main EFEO players to share the results of work already carried out since 2020, to discuss operations in progress or planned for the short term, and to reflect on those for the longer term.

Chaired by EFEO Director Nicolas Fiévé, and organized by Christophe Pottier, coordinator of the CHAMPA project, the seminar brought together David Bazin, Vissa Chanthaphasouk, Christine Hawixbrock, Michel Lorrillard, Nicolas Nauleau, Bertrand Porte, Dominique Soutif and Brice Vincent.

The seminar culminated on the evening of the 21st with a reception at the EFEO Centre for the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau, and on the 22nd with a visit to the archaeological and heritage sites at Lamphun (formerly known as "Haripunchai") led by Louis Gabaude.

Ho Chi Minh City

The GIS Asie co-finances with the EFEO a series of lectures and debates organized by the Saigon Social Sciences Hub (SSSH) for early-career social scientists specializing in Vietnamese studies, hosted by the EFEO's office in Ho Chi Minh City.

Upcoming events:

- November 3: "The Red Cross in the Wars of the Indochinese Peninsula (1965-1979)" by Marie Cugnet

- November 13: "The Central Office for South Vietnam (COSV) and the 1968 Tét Offensive" by Antoine Lé

- November 24: "Vietnamese Objects: Design in the Light of French Colonization and Decolonization" by Quang Vinh Nguyen

Contact : Olivier Tessier

Pondicherry

Anjaneya Sarma will travel to Gunturu (Andhra Pradesh) to give a talk entitled "Sthānivadbhāvavicāraḥ" at the traditional Brahmaśrī-Rāmacandrula-kōṭīśvaraśarmaṇāṁ śatajayantyutsava-catuśśāstravidvanmahāsabhā symposium, which will take place from November 19 to 22.

Taipei

- Josiane Cauquelin (Honorary Researcher, CNRS) is on a field mission in Taiwan from October 27 to November 30, at the invitation of the Institute of Linguistics of the Academia Sinica and the EFEO Center in Taipei. From November 13 to 27, she will be conducting fieldwork in Nanwang, Taitung on the spiritual and linguistic transmission of puyuma shamanic knowledge in the 21st century.

On November 1, she will give a lecture entitled "Linguistic Evidence of the Decline of Shamanism in Nanwang Puyuma: 40 Years of Language Documentation" at the Linguistics Department of Tsing-Hua National University, Hsinchu.

- Marie-Paule Hille (EHESS) is visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the EFEO Center in Taipei until November 8.

- François Lachaud (EFEO) is visiting Taiwan from November 16 to 25 as part of the annual exchange of researchers between the EFEO and the National Palace Museum (MNP, Gugong). His research focuses on documents relating to Taiwan's folk arts and the 1943 visit of Yanagi Muneyoshi [Sōetsu] (1889-1961), as well as the museum presentation of indigenous peoples' heritage.

On November 22, he presents a paper entitled "Yanagi Muneyoshi (1889-1961), the Folk Crafts Movement (Mingei 民芸) and New Interpretations of Religious Images in the Twentieth Century" at the South Branch of the National Palace Museum, Chiayi, jointly organized by the EFEO and the MNP.

Tokyo

Chu Lung-hsing (National Palace Museum, MNP) is in Tokyo from November 6 to 17, as part of the annual exchange of researchers between the EFEO and the MNP. His research focuses on the cultural spread of Chinese residents in Japan in the 18th and 19th centuries.

On November 8, he will give a lecture from 2 to 3:30 pm at Toyo Bunko, co-organized by the EFEO Center in Tokyo, entitled "Kunlun and Kuronbo: The Image of Blacks in East Asia".

Vientiane

EFEO - CHAMPASAK

As part of the EAG (Experts Advisory Group) visits to the World Heritage Site Office (WHSO) at Vat Phou, from November 2 to 4, 2023, Maric Beaufeist, Vissa Chanthaphasouk and David Bazin will be taking part in visits and meetings concerning projects involving the EFEO.

The visit of EFEO Director Nicolas Fiévé to the Vat Phou site from November 1 to 4, accompanied by Christine Hawixbrock, will provide an opportunity to present the EFEO's past, present and future activities in Champassak.

The LIDAR team (Vilasak Phongsawat, Sybouneuhang Phimmasenh, David Bazin) will take part in the ICM on November 7, and will give a presentation on the use of LIDAR data for prospecting during the scientific conference on November 8, organized by the EFEO Vientiane.

Copper deposit prospecting (© CHAMPA Project)

Two surveys will be carried out, from November 20 to 24, on an iron ore production site (Phou Leck) and a copper deposit site (Pha Thon), organized by Brice Vincent accompanied by David Bourgarit, (archaeometallurgist, Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France - C2RMF), Sébastien Clouet (PhD student, Sorbonne University), Eng Tola (PhD student, Toulouse - Jean Jaurès University), Stéphanie Leroy - (archaeometallurgist, CNRS), Pierre Rostan, (geologist, Mine & Avenir), Suy Pov (archaeologist), David Bazin (LIDAR team and EFEO correspondent), Vilasak Phongsawat and Sybounheuang Phimmasenh (LIDAR team).

Photo: On the left, copper deposit prospecting (© CHAMPA Project). Right, copper sample collection (© Projet CHAMPA).

The second mission to study the Nong Hua Thong Treasure will start on November 27 and run until December 8 in Savannakhet, led by Brice Vincent, with the participation of David Bazin for logistics and detailed photos of the treasure's elements, and Christine Hawixbrock.

Researchers

Alain Arrault

Alain Arrault will give a lecture at the University of Rennes 2 on Thursday November 16, focusing on local society as seen through the domestic statuary of Hunan. Here's the abstract:

This presentation will examine domestic statuary from the Hunan region. Alain Arrault will explore in detail the characteristics, styles and functions of these sculptures, which were used in local homes. He will highlight the cultural and social significance of these works, offering valuable insights into daily life in the region. The study will draw on archaeological and historical evidence to reconstruct the context of production and use of these statues, providing a fresh perspective on Hunan art and culture.

Alain Arrault chairs the HCERES committee in charge of the Institut français de recherche sur l'Asie de l'Est (Inalco, Université Paris Cité, CNRS), which will make a remote "visit" to the unit on November 28.

Alain Arrault, associate member of the LABEX "Les passés dans le présent - Communications avec les dieux" (University of Paris Nanterre), will take part as a speaker in the 2-day workshop on November 29 and 30 at the École française d'Extrême-Orient, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, Paris.

Éric Bourdonneau

On November 7, Éric Bourdonneau will take part in the second edition of the study days organized at Inalco by the Société des Amis de Paul Mus (with the support of the EFEO, CASE-UMR 8170 and GSRL-UMR 8582): "'Ce que porte le sol asien', Paul Mus et la fabrique de l'ethnologie".

He will present a paper entitled: "Instant germinal, topologie, jeu de miroirs et 'face partout' : éléments d'archéologie mussienne du politique sur le sol asien, de L'Inde vue de l'Est aux Masques d'Angkor".

Paola Calanca

Paola Calanca will be in Taipei from November 23 to 30 to take part in the International Colloquium on Maritime History 2023: Navigations, drifts and perceptions of the foreign (HCHSS, Academia Sinica) (November 27-28), where she will speak on "The Qing Navy's Maritime Intervention Field: An Overview". She will also take advantage of her stay to study the Ming and Qing coastal maps held in Taiwanese libraries.

Élisabeth Chabanol

As part of the post-excavation work of the Archaeological Mission to Kaesong (MAK), Élisabeth Chabanol is in Japan until November 7. She will be meeting specialists in Korean archaeology and history from Kyoto University and various institutions in Kyoto and Tokyo.

Photo: Courtyard of the Koryo Museum, Kyōto © Koryo Museum of Art.

Luca Gabbiani

Luca Gabbiani will be visiting China from November 1 to 12. From November 2 to 5, he will take part in the "Social Forum 2023 - Historical Studies" organized by the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in collaboration with Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou.

On this occasion, he will present a paper entitled ""To know or not to know" - The notion of fanshi bu zhi (犯時不知) in Ming-Qing China's juridical thought and judicial practice".

From November 5 to 11, he will travel to Fengyang to take part in the filming of an Arte documentary on the history of the Imperial Palace built there by Zhu Yuanzhang, first emperor of the Ming dynasty, then to Beijing, where filming will continue.

On November 21, Luca Gabbiani will give a lecture entitled "Les formes urbaines du pouvoir politique : le cas de Pékin, capitale impériale (XVe-XIXe siècles)" as part of Michela Barbot's seminar (CNRS, ENS Paris-Saclay, Sciences Po') in Sciences Po' Master of Urban Studies.

Dominic Goodall

On November 7 and 8, Dominic Goodall will be in Vientiane for the November 8 scientific conference organized by the EFEO. He will give a presentation entitled "The Sanskrit Inscriptions of South Laos".

Photo: Detail of the four-sided stele of King Devānīka (K. 365, 5th c.) on display at the Vat Phou Museum (photo D. Goodall).

Yves Goudineau

Yves Goudineau will give a talk entitled "L'œuvre de Paul Mus comme anthropologie du 'lieu' - de la pierre au temple, du village au palais", on Tuesday November 7, 2023 at Inalco, as part of the Study Day "Ce que porte le sol asien. Paul Mus et la fabrique de l'ethnologie", organized with the support of CASE (EHESS-CNRS-Inalco), EFEO and GSRL (EPHE-CNRS).

Christine Hawixbrock

Christine Hawixbrock is on a scientific mission in Southeast Asia until December 13.

Benoît Jacquet

On Friday November 17, Benoît Jacquet will travel to the mountains north of Kyoto, in Keihoku, for a thatched house (kaya-buki minka) restoration workshop and a seminar on wood construction in Japan.

Photo: Restoration of a thatched roof (kaya-buki), Kyoto, Keihoku, October-November 2023. Photo ©Atelier 2m26.

On Saturday November 18, from 1pm to 5pm, Benoît Jacquet will take part in the Nichibunken Collaborative Research Project seminar on "The city and the monument: urbanism and memory as seen from the history of visual culture", directed by Timon Screech at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken) in Kyoto.

Fabienne Jagou

Fabienne Jagou, invited by the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, will give a talk entitled "The Nature of Relations Between Qing Emperors and Tibetan Hierarchs : A Model for the Quest for Mutual Eurasian knowledge" as part of the Building Ties for a Peaceful and Sustainable Eurasian Community from Mutual Knowledge: History, Culture, and New Technologies lecture series, on November 10.

Gregory Kourilsky

On November 7, Gregory Kourilsky gives the lecture "Illusion, attachment, renunciation, enlightenment. Some key notions of Buddhism", as part of the Alliance française de Bangkok's lecture series.

On November 18, Gregory Kourilsky will present "Udissa and guṇ: Two key-notions related to filial piety in Tai-Khmer Buddhism", at the 2023 Annual Meetings, American Academy of Religion, in San Antonio (USA).

On November 28, Gregory Kourilsky will be presenting "Inscriptions: Texts, Objects or Works of Art?" at the Southeast Asian Archaeology & Art History: An International Symposium in Honor of Professor M.C. Subhadradis Diskul, to be held in Bangkok (Thailand) on 27 and 28 November.

François Lachaud

On November 15, François Lachaud will take part in the inaugural reception to launch the celebrations and scientific events marking the centenary of the Tōyō bunko Foundation.

From November 16 to 25 he will be visiting Taiwan as part of his annual exchanges with EFEO researchers and the National Palace Museum (MNP, Gugong). In particular, he will be studying documents relating to popular island arts during the stay of Yanagi Muneyoshi (1889) in 1943, as well as the museum presentation of the heritage of indigenous peoples.

On November 22, François Lachaud will be presenting a paper at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum entitled: "Yanagi Muneyoshi (1889-1961), The Folk Crafts Movement [Mingei] and New Interpretations of Religious Images in the Twentieth Century".

Photo: Hirado kite known as the "Demon Hunter", 1920s, Tainan (Photo F. Lachaud).

François Lachaud's contribution to the episode "Yurei, yokai, mononoke, inquiétantes créatures japonaises" in the series Ni mort, ni vivant, une histoire on France Culture's "Le Cours de l'histoire" programme is available as a podcast.

Illustration: Pandora's Box, 1880 ©Getty - Yoshitoshi, Tsukioka.

Christophe Marquet

Friday, November 10 - Paris

Christophe Marquet gives a paper on "Lire les images populaires d'Ōtsu de l'époque d'Edo: inscriptions, éloges et poèmes moraux" at the Lire les images, lire avec les images / Reading Images, Reading with Images study day, co-organised by Estelle Bauer (IFRAE) and Marianne Simon-Oikawa (CRCAO).

At the Graduate School East Asian Studies, Université Paris Cité, amphi Turing, bâtiment Sophie Germain, Paris 13e, from 9am to 6pm.

Zoom on demand link

Announcement sheet for a skit based around the ten characters of Ōtsu imagery, Chikugo theatre in Ōsaka, n. d. (c. mid-19th c.) © C. Marquet

Wednesday, November 22 - Ōtsu

Christophe Marquet exhibits works and iconographic documents on popular songs and dances of the mid-19th century in connection with Ōtsu imagery, on the occasion of a lecture on "The links between Ōtsu and the performing arts: Around Tokiwazu Narrative Music" (大津と芸能のゆかりを学ぼう-常磐津を中心に-), at the Ōtsu City Museum of History.

Legend: Announcement sheet for a skit based around the ten characters of Ōtsu imagery, Chikugo theatre in Ōsaka, n. d. (c. mid-19th c.) © C. Marquet.

Saturday, November 25 - Kyoto

Christophe Marquet gives a lecture on "Hiroshige's fan pictures in French collections: the pinnacle of Japanese ukiyo-e printmaking" (フランスに渡った広重の団扇絵-浮世絵版画の最高峰-), on the occasion of the exhibition organised by the Association for the Preservation of Ukiyo-e Printmaking Techniques (浮世絵木版画彫摺技術保存協会), at the Kyoto International Manga Museum, from 2 to 3.30pm.

Costantino Moretti

Costantino Moretti is at Kyoto University, Institute for Research in Humanities, until December 27 2023, as a visiting professor.

Hélène Njoto

Helene Njoto is organising a two-day event on the 15th and 16th of November in the Moluccas (Indonesia) based on the ALIPH project in Ambon, entitled "The Oldest Islamic Heritage Structures on the Spice Route: Traditional Mosque of Kaitetu in Maluku".

On November 15, an international seminar entitled "Adat Mosques, past and future" will be held, with presentations in Indonesian by historians and heritage experts, with a particular focus on the wooden architectural heritage and customary knowledge in the Moluccas and Lombok. This study day will be held at the Bureau for Cultural Conservation (BPK) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (zoom link to the conference in the poster).

November 16 will see the inauguration of the Galeri Kaitetu, set up as part of the ALIPH-EFEO project. This exhibition hall is dedicated to the Wapaue mosque and traditional carpentry techniques in the village of Kaitetu (Ambon). In the afternoon, workshops on binding and carpentry techniques will be held to inaugurate this hall, which will also function as a learning centre.

Hélène Njoto will be in the field in East Java from 25 November to 10 December 2023 with her colleagues from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

Martin Nogueira Ramos

From November 17 to 26, Martin Nogueira Ramos will be travelling to Japan to consult documents relating to the evangelisation of Kansai in the Meiji and Taishō eras (late 19th-early 20th centuries) held by Sophia University (Tokyo) and the Missions étrangères de Paris in Tokyo.

On November 18, at Waseda University (Tokyo), Martin Nogueira Ramos will speak at the 4th meeting of the Study Circle on the History of Premodern and Modern Japanese Catholicism (Kirishitan-gaku kenkyūkai). His paper is entitled: "The Paris Foreign Missions in search of "ancient Christians": the case of Marin Plessis and his discovery of the Sendaiji village community" (in Japanese).

Photo: Replica of the tomb of Ueno Maria (1603); "Hill of the Cross" (Kurusu-yama) at Sendaiji.

Christophe Pottier

As a member of the Experts Advisory Group for the Vat Phou site, Christophe Pottier is in Laos from October 31 to November 10. From the 1st to the 6th he will be taking part in site visits with Ly Vanna and Simon Warracks and members of the World Heritage Site Office (WHSO), then taking part in the 7th coordination meeting (ICM) in Vientiane on the 7th, followed by the conference on "Archaeological research and heritage preservation in southern Laos" organised by the EFEO on the 8th.

H. E. Thierry Mathou, former French Ambassador to Thailand, and his wife, with Dr Saran, Executive Director of NARIT, and Dr Wiphu, Deputy Director of NARIT, at the opening of the NARIT exhibition and the Alliance Française Chiang Mai on 7 July 2023

On November 13, Christophe Pottier and Anita Quiles, Head of Archaeometry at the IFAO, will take part in the online seminar organised by the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT): "ThaiTimeTrace: Historical Footprint through Accelerator Mass Spectrometry".

Photo: H. E. Thierry Mathou, former French Ambassador to Thailand, and his wife, with Dr Saran, Executive Director of NARIT, and Dr Wiphu, Deputy Director of NARIT, at the opening of the NARIT exhibition and the Alliance Française Chiang Mai on 7 July 2023.

On November 28, Christophe Pottier will take part in the round table discussion chaired by Prof. Rasmi Shoocongdej at the end of the symposium organised to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Professor M.C. Subhadradis Diskul. Subhadradis Diskul, who was Dean of the Faculty of Archaeology, President of Silpakorn University and Director of the Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts (SPAFA): "Southeast Asian Archaeology & Art History: An International Symposium in Honor of Professor M.C. Subhadradis Diskul" on November 27 and 28 at the Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park in Bangkok.

Photo: Visit to Prasat Muang Tam in Isan in 1990 with, from left to right, Jean Boisselier, Subhadradis Diskul and Pierre Pichard (photo C. Pottier).

Lectures

Michela Bussotti

- EHESS seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Histoire culturelle de la Chine impériale tardive : textes techniques et prescriptions du quotidien, starting from November 24

Paola Calanca

- EHESS seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Le monde maritime chinois à travers l'Étude des Mers orientale et occidentale de Zhang Xie (1617), since October 24

Véronique Degroot

- EHESS seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Introduction à l'histoire de l'art et à l'archéologie de l'Indonésie occidentale: protohistoire et période hindo-bouddhique, since October 24

Hugo David

- License 3 Seminar in Indian Studies, "Dramatic Texts 1 and 2" (O5IS413/06IS414), Université Paris-3 "Sorbonne Nouvelle"

- EPHE seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Philosophie et exégèse dans le monde indien: Śālikanātha et Bhartṛhari sur les universaux, since October 23

Luca Gabbiani

- EHESS seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Histoire sociale, économique et institutionnelle de la Chine moderne (XVe-XXe siècle), starting from November 23

Benoît Jacquet

- Master 2 seminar, Pratiques constructives du projet architectural, at the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette

- Master 2 seminar, Introduction au Projet de fin d’études (PFE), at the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette

- License 3 seminar, Histoire de l’architecture moderne au Japon, Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies, Columbia University / Dôshisha University

François Lachaud

- EPHE seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Bouddhisme et civilisation japonaise : Les Masques du démon : bouddhisme, shamanisme et religion vernaculaire dans le département d'Akita, since October 24

- EPHE seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Bouddhisme et civilisation japonaise : Le Chant du cœur de Yanagi Muneyoshi, since October 27

Costantino Moretti

- EPHE seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Histoire et philologie du bouddhisme chinois médiéval, starting from November 16

Hélène Njoto

- EHESS seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Interactions between islamicate and indic societies in South and South-East Asia: comparative perspectives, study days on 8 and 9 November

"Yoga and Muslim societies: Transregional perspectives" as part of the Seventh Perso-Indica Conference organised by Fabrizio Speziale (EHESS) and Andrea Acri (EPHE/EFEO)

Martin Nogueira Ramos

- EPHE seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Histoire du christianisme japonais (XVIe-XIXe s.), starting from November 7

Christophe Pottier

- Master's seminar at Sorbonne University, Archaeology in the Far East, since September 19

Catherine Scheer

- EHESS seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Faire de la recherche sur le terrain : contraintes, contournements, engagements en Asie du Sud-Est, since October 12

On 9 November, Stephen Huard (IDEES/IRD) will present "L’engagement ethnographique revisité à partir d’un terrain birman"

On 23 November, Nathalie Lancret (CASE/CNRS) will present "Faire du terrain en architecte (Indonésie)"

Charlotte Schmid

- EPHE seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Épigraphie et iconographie du monde indien, starting from November 9

Publications

All EFEO publications are available on the publications website.

Publications website

Researchers' publications

W. Chritopher Carleton, Sarah Klassen, Jonathan Niles-Weed, Damian Evans et al., "Bayesian regression versus machine learning for rapid age estimation of archaeological features identified with lidar at Angkor", Sci Rep 13, 17913 (2023).

Illustration: Figure 1 "Map showing location of Angkor and the distribution of temple locations for data used in this study".

Viśvabhāratī National Journal for Sanskrit Studies [Felicitation Volume of Prof. C.S. Radhakrishnan] 5 (2019, paru 2023) :

- Dominic Goodall, "A Note on Raghu’s Conquest of the Directions (digvijaya): Geographical Description based on Tradeable Luxuries", pages 118–122.

- S.A.S. Sarma, "Visualisation of Viṣṇu as described in the Viṣṇupādādikeśastotra of Śaṅkara", pages 176–181.

- R. Sathyanarayanan, "Hells depicted in Mahābhārata as in the bas-relief of Angkor Wat temple: A study in contrast with Śaiva sources", pages 182–196.

Viśvabhāratī National Journal for Sanskrit Studies

Christophe Marquet dir., La Pérégrination vers l’Ouest. Intégrale des illustrations de l’édition japonaise de 1806-1837, textes et traductions by Christophe Marquet, Vincent Durand-Dastès, Xavier Guilbert, Delphine Mulard and Évelyne Lesigne-Audoly, illustrations of Ōhara Tōya, Utagawa Toyohiro and Katsushika Taito, Strasbourg, Éditions 2024, 836 pages, 250 illustrations.

S. L. P. Anjaneya Sarma, "ṇēraṇau yat karma ṇau cēt sa kartā’nādhyānē' (pā. sū. 1.3.67) iti sūtravārtika-bhāṣyavivaraṇam", Divākaraprasāda-saṃskṛta-traimāsikī 4 (octobre 2023), ed. Prof. Krishnakumar, Tripunithura.

S. L. P. Anjaneya Sarma, "Gatibuddhipratyavasānārthaśabdakarmākarmakāṇāmaṇikartā sa ṇau (pā.sū.1.4.52) iti sūtra- vyākhyānam", Vidvatpratibha 2023, pages 149–160.

Research Services

Recipients of allocation currently on mission

- Abednego Andhana Prakosajaya is in Kuala Lumpur, for a study entitled "Srivijaya Art Objects in Malaysia: Historical Reconstruction and National Narrative"

- Alexis Cabrié is in Tokyo, for a study entitled "Repenser le "monde", la "civilisation" et l’"humain" au prisme du bouddhisme indien : analyse historique comparée des pratiques et des représentations dans les bouddhologies japonaise et française, 1890-1940"

- CHEN Ming-Zong is in China, for a study entitled "Les normes forestières : les gestions sylvicoles et les pratiques contractuelles en aval de la rivière Qingshui au Guizhou du 18ème siècle à la première moitié du 20è siècle"

- Hui Yun Cher is in Malaysia, for a study entitled "L’industrie minière au tournant environnemental : Rentabilité, souveraineté et enjeux environnementaux de l'ère post-coloniale malaisienne (1946-2000)"

- Guilhem Cousin-Thorez is in Ho Chi Minh city, for a study entitled "L'Église Bouddhiste Unifiée du Vietnam (1964-1975) : encadrement et mobilisation d'une communauté religieuse en période de guerre civile"

- Spoorthi Gangadikar is in India for a study on "La privatisation de l’enseignement indien et les inégalités sociales - Études comparative des pratiques et représentations des enseignants des écoles publiques et privées au Rajasthan et au Karnataka"

- LONG Junxi is in Tokyo, for a study of hagiographies and local cults on Mount Lu in premodern China

- Hongyue Liu-Deguillaume is in China, for a study entitled "Paysage de la ville de Yangzhou. Analyse typo-morphologique d'un paysage urbain de la Chine pré-moderne"

- Jacqueline Hoang Nguyen is in Vietnam, for a study entitled "Working in the Dark: Vietnamese photography and nationalism, 1865-1945"

- Jade Thavixay is in Vientiane, for a study entitled "Kunming-Vientiane : Un exemple de coopération Sud-Sud ou un moyen de renforcer l'influence de la Chine en Asie du Sud-Est ?"

Post-doctoral contracts for the year 2023

- Ashwini Lakhsminaryanan, Music and Dance in Gandhāran art (10 months)

Staff and service news

Director

The Director of the EFEO, Nicolas Fiévé, was in Chiang Mai from October 19 to 25. During this first visit to Chiang Mai, the Director held extensive talks with the head of the EFEO Centre, Christophe Pottier, to study the operation of the centre and to consider its future development.

On October 21, 2023, the Director welcomed the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau, during her visit to the EFEO Center in Chiang Mai and at the reception held in her honor.

The Director also took part in the CHAMPA project seminar, which brought together a dozen EFEO colleagues involved in this project in Laos.

The Director of the EFEO, Nicolas Fiévé, is on a mission to Laos. He will then travel to Vientiane and Vat Phu in preparation for the 7th International Coordination Meeting to be held in Vientiane on November 7.

On November 14 he will receive a visit from Senator Vincent Eblé and representatives of the France-Cambodia and Laos Interparliamentary Friendship Group at the EFEO for a presentation by Éric Bourdonneau on the progress of the programme to restore the Dancing Shiva statue at Koh Ker.

Staff

EFEO doctoral contract

Ulysse Barthel is beginning his thesis under the supervision of Charlotte Schmid and Lauriane Sève at EPHE Doctoral School 472. His thesis will focus on "Les religions dans l'empire des Kuṣāṇas (début du Ier siècle - milieu du IIIe siècle de notre ère) : divinités, sanctuaires, cultes".

Library

The EFEO's Director of Libraries, Katia Juhel, was on mission at the Chiang Mai Centre from October 20 to 29. She discovered the richness of this vast library and studied its complexity in lengthy discussions with the team of librarians Rosakon Siriyuktanont, Naphat Sutthichaidet and Sumet Ponjorn.

She also visited the libraries at Chiang Mai and Rajabat universities. With Christophe Pottier, head of the Centre, she also conducted interviews with a selection of candidates for the post of librarian in anticipation of Rosakon Siriyuktanont's retirement.

Six old manuscript maps of Cambodia, dating from the second half of the 19th century, and eight prints from the Maurice Durand Collection, popular Vietnamese imagery, are on loan from the EFEO library in Paris as part of the exhibition Une autre histoire du monde, which will run from November 8, 2023 to March 11, 2024 at the Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée in Marseille.

Illustration: Map of the province of Stoung (reference CAR 3150).

Conditions of access of the library

The library is opened Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Consult the catalogues and digital tools :
- Catalogue of books and periodicals
- Catalogue of Archives and Manuscripts
- Digital heritage library

Check the EFEO's Facebook page and Twitter account regularly for any updates on the terms and conditions of the public reception service.

Contact

Find the library catalogue

Photo Library

The virtual photo library is being enriched with new photographs: 200 shots of Henri Marchal, taken in India in 1938, and 242 of Aiyanar, the patron god of Tamil villages, taken between 2005 and 2019 by Jean-Louis Cardin, will go online in the first half of November.

Photo: Ghats on the Ganges, Benares, 1936 (EFEO_MARH01325).

Follow the EFEO virtual photo library on Instagram

Of particular note

Winter School in Buddhist Textual Scholarship

The Winter School in Buddhist Textual Scholarship is a new intensive teaching programme run by teacher-researchers from the EPHE-PSL, the EFEO, and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. The school aims to provide the methodological foundations needed to carry out research in philology, codicology and epigraphy in the field of Buddhist studies. The school has a trans-area dimension, with teacher-researchers specialising in South Asia, South-East Asia, China and Tibet.

It is organized by Gregory Kourilsky (EFEO), Costantino Moretti (EFEO), Marta Sernesi (EPHE), and Vincent Tournier (LMU).

The Winter School will be held from March 4 to 9, 2024 at the EFEO Centre in Chiang Mai (Thailand).

Students interested in taking part in this course are invited to consult the details of the programme on the EFEO website from 8 November and to complete the online application form.

The deadline for applications is 30 November 2023. The results will be announced on 15 December.

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