EFEO Newsletter

Newsletter

December 2023

Content

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

Staff and service news
- Staff
- Library

Of particular note
- Annual closure

Research news

Agenda

Monday, December 4 - Paris

EFEO Paris seminar

Fabienne Jagou (EFEO) speaks on "L’usage des témoignages en histoire à travers ceux de la révolution chinoise de 1911 au Tibet".

This seminar is part of Sequence 21, entitled "Dire, écrire et transmettre l’histoire", 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.

Tuesday, December 12 to Thursday, December 14 - Paris

The international conference Orients typographiques. Imprimer les langues orientales entre Europe(s) et Orients, XVIe-XIXe siècle, co-organised by Michela Bussotti, Margherita Farina and Fabien Simon, coordinators of the ANR JCJC IndesLing, will be held :
- at the EFEO on Tuesday, December 12
- at the Institut d'études avancées de Paris on Wednesday 13 December
- at the Université Paris Cité on Thursday 14 December

Programme and information

Tuesday, December 12 - Kyoto

As part of the "Kyoto lectures", Felice Farina (Università degli Studi di Napoli L'Orientale) gives a lecture on "Japan and the Journey of Soy: From Food from Somewhere to Washoku".

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

Monday, December 18 - Taipei

Radu Bikir (University of Rennes 2) will give a lecture entitled "Intimacy with the Invisible in Religious Stories from the Song Dynasty (960-1279)" as part of the IHP-EFEO Talk.

Organized jointly by the EFEO and the Center for Research on Customs, Religion, and Daily Life of the Institute of History and Philology (IHP) of the Academia Sinica.

At 3 p.m., Room 703, Research Building, IHP, Academia Sinica.

Thursday, November 9 - Taipei

Olivier Venture, Director of Studies at the EPHE - PSL, will give a lecture entitled "Between Japan and China: the Constitution of Henri Cernuschi's (1821-1896) Ancient Chinese Bronze Collection".

From 10am to 12pm, seminar room 1 (1F), Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University.

This lecture is being organized by the EFEO in collaboration with Kyoto University (Institute for Research in Humanities).

Centres

Chiang Mai

On Monday December 4 an exhibition will be inaugurated at the EFEO Centre in Chiang Mai, featuring a selection of the best work produced by 3rd year students in the "Theory, philosophy and landscape design studio in public project" at Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Architecture. The studio's work this semester focused on the grounds of the EFEO Centre in Chiang Mai and the neighbouring Vat Chai Mongkon Wanaram.

Raquel Selosse has been recruited to the position of Director of the EFEO Library in Chiang Mai on December 1 in anticipation of the retirement of Rosakon Siriyuktanont at the end of the year.

On December 15 the EFEO Center in Chiang Mai will host a lecture by Louis Gabaude entitled "Les courants du bouddhisme en Thaïlande" for the French aid association AFI "La rose du Nord".

From 17 to 31 December, Emilie Testard, senior lecturer at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco), will be in residence at the Centre. She will be working in particular on the "fiches du fonds Burnay" held at the Centre.

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:

- December 15: "The Hidden Face of Vietnam: The Fall and Rise of Photographer Khanh Ky" by Jacqueline Hoang Nguyen

Contact : Olivier Tessier

Jakarta

On Friday 8 December, in the main hall of the Institut français d'Indonésie in Jakarta, the Centre's researchers will be launching a publication that they have been working on for several years.

It is a work devoted to the correspondence, between 1945 and 1947, between Louis-Charles Damais, the EFEO's first representative in Indonesia, and Claire Holt, a renowned expert on Indonesian dance and the plastic arts. In his letters, Louis-Charles Damais comments on the political, social and economic situation in Indonesia, which had just declared independence after the surrender of Japanese forces, but which the Netherlands was trying to regain control of. Here we see the researcher in a new light, strongly committed to the struggle for the right of colonised peoples to be free. The original correspondence, in English, has been fully translated into Indonesian and accompanied by explanatory notes.

It is as valuable a document for the study of the Indonesian revolution as it is for a biography of Louis-Charles Damais.

Surat-menyurat / Correspondence
Louis-Charles Damais – Claire Holt 1945–1947
Revolusi Indonesia di Mata Seorang Ilmuwan Prancis
The Indonesian Revolution through the Eyes of a French Scholar
Suntingan dan Pendahuluan oleh / Edition and Introduction by Jean-Pascal Elbaz, École française d’Extrême-Orient, Jakarta.

Pondicherry

Dominic Goodall, R. Sathyanarayanan and S.A.S. Sarma give presentations at the symposium on śivaism The Śaivāgamas: the basis for the Śiva Temple, co-organised in Pondicherry by the Indology Department of the Institut Français de Pondichéry and the Śaivaśāstrapracārasabhā of Tiruvannamalai on 5 and 6 December.

Dominic Goodall's presentation is entitled "What does the Sarvajñānottaratantra tell us about temples in the seventh century?". R. Sathyanarayanan and S.A.S. Sarma speak respectively on "The significance of Śaivāgamas in temple rituals focusing on the Vīratantra" and "Śaivāgamas and Kerala Tantra Paddhatis: A Comparison with Special Reference to Mahotsavas as Described in Ajitāgama".

Anjaneya Sarma, S.L.P., presents a paper titled "Pramitādhikaranavicāraḥ from Brahma-sutrasankarabhashya" at the Veda-Dharma-Shāstra Paripālana Sabhā in Madhyarjunakshetram (Tiruvidimarudur, TN) from December 1 to December 4, 2023. This discourse aims to add depth to our understanding of the Brahma-sutrasankarabhashya.

Anjaneya Sarma, S.L.P., will contribute a paper titled "Dēvatātaddhitapratyayārthavicāraḥ" at the Sri Jñānāmr̥tavākyārthavidvatsabhā in Chennai from December 7 to December 10, 2023. This presentation will delve into the nuanced exploration of the subject, enriching the discourse on Dēvatātaddhita.

S.A.S. Sarma will be participating in a two-day national seminar on Intercultural Dialogues in Sanskrit Tradition organised as part of the Sankarajayanti celebrations at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Kerala from 13 to 14 December and will be giving a presentation entitled "Tracing Historical Narratives: Unveiling Insights through Sanskrit Manuscripts".

Anjaneya Sarma, S.L.P., plans a scholarly contribution at the Sāstra-sabha in Govt. Sanskrit College, Tripunithur (Kerala) from December 27 to December 29, 2023. The paper titled "Aunanat-Acikīrtat Ityādiprayoga vicāraḥ" will explore a linguistic aspect, adding valuable insights to the discussions at the event.

Belhacel Abdelhakim, a researcher affiliated with Université Paris Nanterre, will start a month-long research journey in India this December, supported by a grant from the EFEO. His project, focusing on the Omani domination in East Africa, will lead him to consult the Maharashtra State Archives in Mumbai. Abdelhakim's research aims to shed light on the historical connections between India, Zanzibar, and Oman, with a keen focus on the Indian and British influence on Zanzibari political models and the importance of the Kachchi commercials networks linking India and Zanzibar.

Vientiane

EFEO - CHAMPASAK

Mission to study the Nong Hua Thong treasure in November - December 2023 (temporary laboratory) (© CHAMPA Project).

The second mission to study the Nong Hua Thong Treasure, which began in Savannakhet on 27 November, will continue from 1 to 8 December. It is being led by Brice Vincent, with the participation of David Bazin for logistics and detailed photography.

The experts taking part in this mission are
- Barbara Armbruster, archaeologist and goldsmith at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Toulouse, France)
- David Bourgarit, archaeometallurgist from the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (Paris, France)
- Souliya Bounxaythip, archaeologist from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism (Vientiane, Laos)
- Christine Hawixbrock, archaeologist and art historian at the EFEO (Paris, France)
- Thonglith Luangkhoth, head of the archaeological department of the General Heritage Directorate
- Pascal Mora, head of 3D digitisation projects at the Archéovision laboratory (Bordeaux, France)
- Mickael Roucca, 3D designer at Archéovision
- Viengkeo Souksavatdy, archaeologist (Vientiane, Laos)
- Dominique Soutif, archaeologist and epigraphist at the EFEO (Siem Reap, Cambodia).

Photo: Mission to study the Nong Hua Thong treasure in November - December 2023 (temporary laboratory) (© CHAMPA Project).

The ascent of Phou Kao (Lingaparvata) by the LIDAR team and Christophe Pottier is scheduled for 14-16 December.

As part of the CHAMPA project, Sisamay Silaphet and Chanphenh Phommavendy (Vat Phou Museum) will be in Siem Reap from 11 November to 30 December to receive training in stone conservation and restoration from Esther von Plehwe-Leisen (Stone Conservation Lab LPL in Cologne) and Hans Leisen (TH Köln, Institute of Conservation Sciences CICS in Cologne), who are in charge of the German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP).

A look back at the conference days in Vientiane on 7 and 8 November

In partnership with the Lao PDR General Directorate of Heritage, the World Heritage Site office of Vat Phu Champassak, and the AFD, the EFEO took part in the organization of two days of presentations, lectures, and exhibitions on November 7 and 8 in Vientiane (Convention Hall).

The first day was devoted specifically to the 7th International Coordination Meeting (ICM) between the various national and international players working to preserve the Vat Phu site, in accordance with the rules laid down by UNESCO.

David Bazin, Maric Beaufeist, Vissa Chanthaphasouk, Nicolas Fiévé, Dominic Goodall, Christine Hawixbrock, Michel Lorrillard, Nicolas Nauleau, Bertrand Porte, Christophe Pottier et Brive Vincent.

The second day, organised by the EFEO Centre in Vientiane, was an international conference on archaeological research and heritage preservation in southern Laos, with a particular focus on the work carried out under the AFD-funded Champa project. Around thirty speakers (mixed teams of international and local players) discussed fourteen different topics. Taking part in this conference for the EFEO were: David Bazin, Maric Beaufeist, Vissa Chanthaphasouk, Nicolas Fiévé, Dominic Goodall, Christine Hawixbrock, Michel Lorrillard, Nicolas Nauleau, Bertrand Porte, Christophe Pottier and Brice Vincent.

An exhibition on Lidar activities was also presented during these two days, which were attended by Mr Phosy Keomanyvong, Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Lao PDR, and Mrs Siv-Leng Chhuor, French Ambassador to Laos.

In a speech given on November 8 at the French Embassy in Laos, Nicolas Fiévé gave representatives of the French, Laotian, and international communities an outline of the EFEO's current activities in Laos.

Researchers

Éric Bourdonneau

From December 6 to 18, as part of the programme to study and restore the Dancing Shiva statue at Koh Ker, Éric Bourdonneau will be travelling to Siem Reap with Frédéric Ladonne, architect and programmer, to take part in the 8th technical and plenary session of the CIC-Preah Vihear and its preparatory meetings. They will be presenting a paper entitled "The Dancing Shiva, from Restoration to the Museum. Progress report".

Also as part of this programme, Amélie Méthivier, conservator-restorer, will be in Siem Reap from December 1 to 9 to continue at the Angkor Conservation Centre the training cycle on sculpture restoration methods that began last June.

Élisabeth Chabanol

On 15 December, Élisabeth Chabanol presents the work of the Archaeological Mission to Kaesong under the title "Une belle endormie, Kaesong, Corée du Nord", at a seminar organised by the Institut d'Asie Orientale, UMR 5062 (ENS de Lyon, Sciences Po Lyon, Université Lyon 2). Videoconference, online registration.

Photo: March 2018. Fortress Parŏch'am / Outer fortress, section KSG S0044 © MAK/EFEO/NAPCH.

Luca Gabbiani

On 15 December, Luca Gabbiani will take part in the jury to defend the doctoral thesis of Lou Vargas (École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université PSL), entitled "La donation religieuse dans la province de Bac-Ninh au XVIIIe siècle : étude historique et philologique d'un corpus d'inscriptions gravées sur stèles". The thesis was prepared under the supervision of Philippe Papin.

Frédéric Girard

Frédéric Girard presents "Les aspects philosophiques de la doctrine Dôgen" (The philosophical aspects of the Dôgen doctrine) on 1 December from 7.30pm to 9pm as part of the "Un tissage des savoirs" series of conferences entitled "Penser Ailleurs", held at the Espace Andrée Chedid, Association CLAVIM (60, rue du Général Leclerc, 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux).

He will be taking part in Les Saveurs du Aïku, on Saturday 2 December at 5pm (Paris/Vallée de la Marne, Conservatoires).

He will be visiting Japan from 14 December 2023 to 14 January 2024.

Dominic Goodall

Dominic Goodall gives the annual Michael Lockwood Memorial Lecture at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, the week of 11 December on the theme "Dvārapālakas and āgamic prescription".

Photo: Image of the guardian personifying Śiva's trident at Tirumayyam temple, India (Cliché Dominic Goodall).

Christine Hawixbrock

Christine Hawixbrock is on mission in Laos until December 13.

Benoît Jacquet

On 10 December, Benoît Jacquet travelled to the village of Nakagawa, in the mountains to the north (Kitayama) of Kyoto, with the team from the programme "Indovina chi viene a casa" on the Italian public broadcaster RAI, for an interview with forester Nakata Osamu on the silviculture of platform cryptomeria (daisugi), a four-hundred-year-old tradition.

Photo: Traditional cutting workshop (honjikomi) for platform cryptomeria (daisugi) in the village of Nakagawa Kitayamachô, Kita-ku, Kyōto; cutting, debarking and drying (Photo © Benoît Jacquet, 5 August 2023).

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

Fabienne Jagou

The ANR Natinasia project team, coordinated by Fabienne Jagou, is holding two study days on the theme of ""Conséquences de la révolution chinoise de 1911 au Tibet et en Asie centrale", at the Maison de l'Asie, on 5 and 6 December.

On 14 December, Fabienne Jagou took part in a round table on "Asie orientale: rechercher", organised as part of the celebrations marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Institut d'Asie Orientale (UMR5062), École normale supérieure, Lyon.

François Lachaud

François Lachaud will be taking part in the conference Northern Lights II: Japan's Septentrional Regions in Early Modern Times, for which he is one of the scientific directors, to be held at the Conseil de l'Europe in Strasbourg and the Centre Européen d'Études Japonaises d'Alsace (CEEJA) from 15 to 17 December.

He will be presenting a paper on Saturday 16 December entitled "The Wanderings of Oshirasma: The [Transcultural] Genealogies of a Deity from Northern Japan".

Contact and registration for the opening conference and/or online participation.

Michel Lorrillard

From 5 to 8 December, Michel Lorrillard and two partners from the General Directorate of Heritage of the Lao PDR will be visiting the districts of Longsan and Hom in Saysomboun province, where a number of sites have recently revealed new evidence of the Mone Buddhist culture in Laos.

Photo: M. Longsan, Saysombun (© MICT).

Christophe Marquet

Christophe Marquet is organising a seminar (in Japanese) on "Hokusai's album Shoshoku ehon Katsushika shin-hinagata 諸職繪本葛飾新鄙形 (Katsushika's New Models for Craftsmen) (1836): drawing manual or extraordinary architectures?", at the Hokusai Museum in Obuse (Nagano Prefecture).

On this occasion, he will study the painted decoration of the ceiling of the main pavilion of the Ganshō-in monastery in Obuse, executed by Hokusai in 1848.

Illustration: Envelope from the album Shoshoku ehon Katsushika shin-hinagata, 1836, BnF, Département des Estampes et de la Photographie, shelfmark RESERVE 4-DD-3201, former Edmond de Goncourt collection.

Envelope from the album Shoshoku ehon Katsushika shin-hinagata, 1836, BnF, Département des Estampes et de la Photographie, shelfmark RESERVE 4-DD-3201, former Edmond de Goncourt collection.

Costantino Moretti

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

Daniel Perret

On 6 and 7 December, Daniel Perret will be taking part in the international conference "Sejarah dan Warisan Budaya di Alam Melayu" at the Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur.

Christophe Pottier

From December 5 to 10, Christophe Pottier is leading, with his colleagues from APSARA and the Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre in Copenhagen, a new campaign of sediment sampling by core sampling at Angkor, notably at Beng Thom of Angkor Thom, in the northern basin and the northern moat of Angkor Wat.

From 11 to 16 December, Christophe Pottier will be taking part with David Bazin and Vissa Chanthaphasouk in surveys in the Vat Phu region.

Catherine Scheer

Catherine Scheer is in Cambodia from 21 December 2023 to 6 February 2024, for her annual ethnography of the end-of-year festivities among the Christian Bunongs of the Mondulkiri highlands.

Charlotte Schmid

On 1 December, Charlotte Schmid is giving the thirtieth Gonda Lecture in Amsterdam. Entitled 'The Aśokan Breakthrough', the lecture interrogates the role played by the Maurya emperor Aśoka (mid-3rd c. BCE) in the emergence of writing in India in the light of massive discoveries of inscribed sherds in southern South Asia.

(The late appearance of writing in India has often been associated with the impetus of an individual, Aśoka, who, in the 3rd century BC, disseminated a royal and ethical discourse throughout his vast empire through monumental inscriptions that are the first known in India. The massive discoveries of inscribed sherds in southern India and Sri Lanka, some of which predate Aśoka's reign, raise questions. Did Aśoka's use of writing correspond to the invention of writing, or did the emperor take over an existing tool? A comparison of the inscribed sherds with the Aśoka epigraphs engraved in South India will enable us to better define the "Aśokean break").

Photo: Minor Ashoka edict inscribed at Gavimath (Karnataka), 3rd century BC (Photo by Charlotte Schmid).

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

On 8 December, invited by Xavier Paulès to the EHESS, Professor OKI Yasushi (Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at the University of Tokyo) gives a lecture on "Spread of the Thread Stitched Book Binding and its Background in Chinese Book History".
For further information or to request a link to follow the lecture remotely, please write to Michela Bussotti

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)

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

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

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)

Benoît Jacquet

- Master 2 seminar, Par-delà la modernité : Retour d’Asie, at the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette

- 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

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

Costantino Moretti

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

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

Martin Nogueira Ramos

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

Christophe Pottier

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

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

On December 7, Edyta Roszko

On December 21, Christine Cabasset (CASE/IRASEC) presents "Timor oriental ou faire du terrain dans un pays d'indépendance récente"

Charlotte Schmid

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

Publications

All EFEO publications are available on the publications website.

Publications website

Researchers' publications

Michela Bussotti, "Francesco Carletti, cultures marchandes et savoirs de l’Orient à la fin du XVIe siècle", Cuadernos de Historia Moderna, 2023, 48 (2), pages 513-537.

Surat-menyurat/Correspondence, Louis-Charles Damais – Claire Holt 1945–1947, Revolusi Indonesia di Mata Seorang Ilmuwan Prancis/The Indonesian Revolution through the Eyes of a French Scholar, Suntingan dan Pendahuluan oleh/Edition and Introduction by Jean-Pascal Elbaz, École française d’Extrême-Orient, Jakarta, 2023.

S.L.P. Anjaneya Sarma, "ṇēraṇau yat karma ṇau cēt sa kartā’nādhyānē (pā. sū. 1.3.67) iti sūtravārtika-bhāṣyavivaraṇam", Divākaraprasāda-saṃskṛta-traimāsikī 5 (octobre 2023), ed. Prof. Krishnakumar, Tripunithura, pages 12-15.

Research Services

Recipients of allocation currently on mission

- 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)"

- 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

- Bruno Vilela da Silva is in Pondicherry for a critical edition and study of the Kālottaratantra (reviews Trayodaśaśatikakālottara and Saptaśatikakālottara).

Staff and service news

Staff

Vincent Paillusson has passed a competitive examination to become a research engineer at the CNRS, where he will take up his duties on February 1, 2024. He has worked at the EFEO since 2006, where he is in charge of information systems, support for the development of digital projects, property management for the Maison de l'Asie, and also acts as prevention advisor.

Evelise Bruneau, assistant to the director and in charge of research support and mobility programmes, has passed the competitive examination to become a state civil service heritage curator. She will begin her training at the INP (Institut National du Patrimoine) on 2 January 2024. She has held this position at the EFEO since 2016, and had previously worked on a number of ad hoc projects since 2003.

Congratulations to both of you on your success, and best wishes for the rest of your careers.

Antony Boussemart, the EFEO's Secularity Officer, is at Mont Saint-Michel on 4 December to take part in the recording of a round-table discussion on secularity organised by the President of the 'Ethics Officer and Whistleblower' college and the 'Secularity Officer' of the Ministries of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, Energy Transition and the Sea. This recording will be broadcasted on Secularism Day, which is held every year on 9 December.

Library

Following major water damage, the library is exceptionally closed.

In all, around 150 linear metres of books, archive boxes, cardboard boxes, photo boxes, packaging for stamps, etc. were hauled up, mostly on Thursday 16 November.

Around 400 books have been put out to dry. They will be a little wrinkled, a little thicker, a little haloed, a little less pretty, but still readable.

The entire library team and a number of volunteers are working hard to save this valuable documentation and get the library reopened as soon as possible.

The whole team is tired, so thank you in advance for your patience.

"Formes de la ruine" exhibition

The Paris library of the EFEO has loaned the K301 stamp (IMA 38), produced at the beginning of the 20th century, for the "Formes de la ruine" exhibition being held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon until March 3, 2024.

This stamp, known as the "Great Inscription of Angkor Wat", bears witness to a Khmer inscription (dated circa 1701) consisting of a 53-line poem made up of 152 verses. It was made in Indian ink on rice paper, and measures 1.49 metres high by 1.91 metres wide.

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 water damage on 16 November did not affect the photo library premises, so the photographs were not damaged in any way.

Shiva dancing with ten arms, bas-relief, 2nd floor, north gallery (west part), Bayon temple, 12th century, Siem Reap, Cambodia, (EFEO_CAM06951-2, August 1965).

As the part of the exhibition Shiva, le dieu qui savait danser in the reading room is not accessible while the library is closed, here is one of the photos on display.

Photo: Shiva dancing with ten arms, bas-relief, 2nd floor, north gallery (west part), Bayon temple, 12th century, Siem Reap, Cambodia, (EFEO_CAM06951-2, August 1965).