Agenda

Centres

Ho Chi Minh City

Pondicherry

Activities of the Centre's researchers:

Paras Mehta has launched a weekly course on the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, which will be held every Wednesday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. This 16th-century "Gauḍīya" Vaishnava text, of major importance to the tradition, explores devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the experience of devotional ecstasy. The course will also include a study of the two main commentaries by Jīva Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī. The sessions are open to anyone interested.

On April 2, Saravanan Sundaramoorthy will present a paper titled "Formation of Distinct Verbal Nouns in Classical Tamil" at the International Conference on E-Linguistics (in honor of Umaraj’s retirement), organized by the Department of Linguistics at Madurai Kamaraj University in Madurai. The paper will also be published in the conference proceedings distributed on the same day.

From April 6 to 8, S.L.P. Anjaneya Sarma participates in the event Advaitavedāntaśāstre – Guhāṃpraviṣṭādhikaraṇavicāraḥ, organized by the Andhra Pradesh branch of the Śṛṅgeri Śāradā Pīṭham in Rajahmundry.

On April 22 at 11 a.m., S.A.S. Sarma presided over the public defense of K.B. Amrutha’s doctoral dissertation at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Kalady (Kerala). The dissertation is titled "Sanskrit-Tamil Literary Contacts in the Works of P. Narayanan Nair."

Visiting Scholar:

From April 10, 2026, to May 31, 2027, Shiba Yuto, a doctoral student at Hiroshima University, will be visiting as a Visiting Scholar. His research focuses on late Sanskrit poetics, and he will participate in the Center’s Sanskrit and Tamil reading groups while continuing his doctoral work.

Myriam Caussy, a doctoral student at EHESS-CESAH, is spending five months in India as part of her affiliation with the Pondicherry Center. Her doctoral project, titled “Around Hanuman: Studies of Practices and Concepts of Hinduism in India and Its Diasporas,” examines the transformations of Hindu practices in India and among the diaspora, with a particular focus on the evolution of domestic cults dedicated to Hanuman. This comparative research is based on fieldwork conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Mauritius.

Taipei

The Centre welcomes Simon Astrup-Gay, recipient of an EFEO field grant, for a research stay through April 30. Simon Astrup-Gay is a Master's student at EHESS and is conducting research in Taiwan on "Imperial Geographies of Forest and Wind: The Environmental Fabric of Qing Imperialism in Taiwan (17th–18th centuries)".

Researchers

Arlo Griffiths

From 22 March to 6 April, Arlo Griffiths is on a mission in Vietnam.  He will carry out epigraphic documentation and photographic/photogrammetric coverage of Champa inscriptions as part of the ERC DHARMA project. He will be accompanied by Nguyễn Văn Quảng (Huế University), Adeline Levivier (visual documentation expert), William Southworth (curator at the Rijksmuseum), Trần Kỳ Phương (independent researcher) and Federico Barocco (independent researcher). The team will visit various sites and museums in Hue, Đà Nẵng, Mỹ Sơn, Xã Lăng, Pleiku, Tuy Hòa, Nha Trang and Phan Rang.

Benoît Jacquet

Gregory Kourilsky

Christophe Marquet

Christophe Pottier

Charlotte Schmid

Saarthak Singh

On April 14 and 15, Saarthak Singh will deliver two presentations titled "Places of Conversion and Convergence in the Indian Sultanates" and "Educational Institutions under the Early Delhi Sultans, 1198–1398" at the Faculty of Arts, Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Lausanne.

Projects

CHAMPA Project

A training session on the use of LiDAR data with technicians from various provincial departments is scheduled for early April but will have to be postponed if the current fuel shortage in the region persists.

LiDAR field surveys are continuing and are focused on the “World Heritage” zone. The five Laotian engineers hired in October 2025 have had their contracts extended until the start of the rainy season to continue collecting field data.

The LiDAR team is conducting topographic surveys at the Phon That archaeological excavation site.

The LiDAR team will host two members of the Savannakhet Department of Cultural Heritage for a week of training at the EFEO/Vat Phou geomatics laboratory and during field surveys, in preparation for the surveys they will conduct at Nong Hua Thong and in the Savannakhet region. Two weeks of LiDAR surveys in Savannakhet will then be supervised alternately by Vilasak Phongsawath and Sybounheuang Phimmasenh.

Development work at the Houay Sa Houa 2 archaeological site, now led by Sivilay Khomphabay, has begun with earthwork operations. Vissa Chanthaphasouk is overseeing the implementation of the recommendations made by the EFEO.

In April, Vissa Chanthaphasouk, with the help of the LiDAR team, conducted photogrammetric surveys of the western enclosure of the main sanctuary.

From April 1 to 30, Dominique Soutif led an archaeological excavation campaign at the Houay Tomo site, located on the east bank of the Mekong River, as part of his Yaśodharāśrama archaeological mission.

Lectures

Alain Arrault & 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

Éric Bourdonneau
- Seminar, "Depuis la marge". Étude des images et écriture de l’histoire du Cambodge ancien, Phnom Penh Faculty of Archaeology

Hugo David
EPHE seminar ("Philosophie et Philologie sanskrite") in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies,  Autour de l'énonciation : linguistique et métaphysique (introduction à la philosophie linguistique de Bhartrhari 2)

- Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3 Seminar as part of the Bachelor's Degree in Indian Studies, Lecture de textes philosophiques sanskrits : introduction à la lecture du "Pātañjalayogaśāstra" ("Yogasūtra" de Patañjali et leur [auto-]commentaire)

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

Valérie Gillet et Saarthak Singh
- EPHE seminar ("Histoire et enjeux de l'Inde pré-coloniale") in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Histoire de l'Inde précoloniale : enjeux et sources. La gestion de l'eau : aménagements hydrauliques, enjeux politiques, programme

Andrew Hardy
- EHESS seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Histoire de la colonisation du Vietnam : approches micro-biographiques ?

Benoît Jacquet
- Master 2 Seminar, Les enseignements de l’espace au Japon, École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette and of Paris-Val de Seine

On April 4, Manuel Tardits (Mikan, Yokohama), "Notes du pavillon de thé : une histoire de la construction en bois au Japon"

On April 14, Frank Salama (ESA-ENSAP Lille), "Approches thématiques de la spatialité japonaise : une transmission opératoire pour les architectes"

On April 21, Yamaguchi Reina (EPHE), "La kyō-machiya comme modèle de patrimoine durable depuis les années 1990"

- Master 2 Seminar, Paysages : architectures, villes et territoires en transition (PFE), École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette

Fabienne Jagou
- EHESS seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Le nationalisme tibétain à partir du début du XXe siècle

François Lachaud
- EPHE seminar ("Bouddhisme et civilisation japonaise") in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, La Guerre et ses fantômes: les pièces à Asura (shuramono) dans le théâtre nō [Le Heike monogatari et ses héritages 1]

- EPHE seminar ("Bouddhisme et civilisation japonaise") in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Le prélat et les guerriers : lectures du Gukanshō (Mes Vues sur l'Histoire) [Penser la guerre au moyen âge I]

Martin Nogueira Ramos
- EPHE seminar ("Histoire du fait religieux dans le Japon prémoderne et moderne (XVIe-XIXe s.") in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Sources et histoire du catholicisme japonais moderne (XIXe siècle)

Christophe Pottier
- Master's seminar at Sorbonne University, Actualités et pratiques de l'archéologie en Extrême-Orient

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 April 2, Pierre Boccanfuso (CNRS, CASE), "Adapter son terrain à l’anthropologie visuelle. Une expérience d’immersion totale, depuis 1994, autour de la projection du film Les deux fils du chaman"

On April 16, Dana Rappoport (CNRS, CASE), "Déboires et aventures ethnomusicologiques : trois terrains en Indonésie et au Timor"

- EHESS seminar in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Anthropologie comparée de l'Asie du Sud-Est. Marges et pouvoirs locaux : ethnographies et histoire régionale

On April 2, Béatrice David (LAVUE-AUS, univ. Paris 8), "La nationalité Sui du Guizhou. Négociations d’une frontière ethnique par une population tai en contexte chinois"

On April 16, Rebekka Sutter (Universität Zürich), "From Swidden Recitations to Afforestation Quotas: Lisu Farmers Navigating Agrarian Change in the Nujiang Valley (Yunnan, PR of China)"

Charlotte Schmid & Saarthak Singh
EPHE seminar ("Épigraphie et iconographie du monde indien") in the framework of the Master's degree in Asian Studies, Écrire, inscrire et mettre en scène : la culture matérielle des textes dans le monde indien

Publications

The articles collected here illustrate the work of the distinguished researcher Professor G. Vijayavenugopal, whose scientific activity has focused on epigraphy since his arrival at the EFEO Centre in Pondicherry in 1997. They highlight the versatility of his scholarship and the influence he has had on their authors, presenting three sections: Tamil literature, epigraphy and linguistics. These sections echo his research career, evoking his work on Caṅkam and Bhakti literature, then his role as co-founder of the epigraphy journal Āvaṇam, and as editor and translator of Tamil inscriptions. The last section highlights his interest in linguistics: the language of inscriptions and philology complete the circle of a life dedicated to research.

All EFEO publications are available on the publications website.

Researchers' publications

Martin Nogueira Ramos, "1880 nendai Nihon no chihōshi ni miru katorikku kyōkai no fukyō katsudō: Kyōto to Kōchi no jirei o chūshin ni" [Les activités missionnaires de l'Église catholique vues à travers la presse régionale japonaise des années 1880 : une étude des cas des villes de Kyōto et Kōchi], Kyōtogaku-Rekisaikan kiyō 9, mars 2026, pages 227-246.

Saarthak Singh et Johan Levillain (GREI), "Jain statuary from Dhar and Mandu in Madhya Pradesh", International Journal of Jaina Studies 22(4), pages 1-18.

Research Services

Recipients of allocation on mission

- Simon Astrup-Gay is based at the Taipei centre for a study on the "Géographies impériales de la forêt et du vent : La fabrique environnementale de l’impérialisme Qing à Taiwan (XVIIe–XVIIIe s.)"

- Pin-Hua Chou is based at the Hanoi centre for a study on "Museums, Anthropology, and the Politics of Knowledge Production in Colonial and Post-Colonial Vietnam, 1940-1954 and Beyond"

- Bolin Dong is based at the Shanghai centre for a study on "Perte et renaissance de la culture des 'démons' (yaoguai 妖怪) : le cas du Tiangou 天狗"

- Marvin Freyne is based at the Ho Chi Minh-City centre for a study on "Un nouveau militantisme ? Les descendant·es de l'agent orange et l'engagement associatif au Viêt Nam et en France"

- Elichéva Ma Juster is based at the Hanoi centre for a study on "Kiều/Qiao翹, miroir du féminin : de la légende chinoise aux pratiques vietnamiennes"

- Muhammad Ni'am is based at the Jakarta centre for a study on travailler sur "The Politics of Dwelling among the Batak People in an Indonesian Conservation Frontier"

- Jennifer Su is based at the Hanoi centre for a study on "Wasted Rites: Ritual Consumption and Rational Destruction in Hanoi’s Flower Trade"

- Yunheng Xu is based at the Pondicherry centre for a study on "The Ulakaḷanta Perumāḷ Temple through its Inscriptions and its Legends".

- Sopheak Youk is based at the Siem Reap centre for a study on travailler sur "Des rituels rizicoles à la revendication identitaire : pratique et valeur de la rizière khmère".

Direction

Nicolas Fiévé is on a mission from March 30 to April 22.

He will be in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) until April 6. Accompanied by Daniel Perret, head of the EFEO Center in Kuala Lumpur, he will meet with, among others, H.E. Mr. Marc Abensour, French Ambassador to Malaysia; Professor Dato' Seri Ir.; Dr. Noor Azuan Abu Osman, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya; Dr. Yanti Idaya Aspura Mohd Khalid, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Malaya and Associate Professor; as well as members of the management of the Sarawak Museum Department in Kuching.

Starting April 7, Nicolas Fiévé is in Indonesia with Arlo Griffiths, head of the EFEO Center in Jakarta. They are meeting with several prominent figures, including Herry Yogaswara, head of the Archaeology, Language, and Literature Research Organization at the National Agency for Research and Innovation (BRIN); Mr. E. Aminudin Aziz, director of the National Library; Indira Esti Nurjadin, director of the National Heritage Agency (MCB), as well as H.E. Fabien Penone, French Ambassador to Indonesia.

Then, on April 13, Nicolas Fiévé will travel to Yogyakarta with Arlo Griffiths, Véronique Degroot, and Hélène Njoto. They will meet with Mr. Setiadi, dean of the Faculty of Humanities at Gadjah Mada University, and visit the 18th-century palace and its royal gardens. On April 15, they will travel to Cirebon to visit two palaces and rock gardens from the 17th and 18th centuries.

On April 16, in Ambon, in eastern Indonesia, the tour continues with a visit to the wooden mosque of Wapauwe, located in the village of Kaitetu and recently restored as part of a project led by the EFEO, under the direction of Hélène Njoto, with the support of the International Alliance for Heritage Protection (ALIPH, 2021–2025). Nicolas Fiévé will also visit the Kaitetu Gallery, dedicated to traditional carpentry techniques and built as part of the same initiative. Finally, an audience with the King of Kaitetu brings this visit to a close.

On April 21, back in Jakarta, the director of the EFEO was invited to a reception held in his honor at the residence of H.E. Mr. Fabien Penone, French Ambassador to Indonesia, attended by key representatives of partner institutions and members of the EFEO.

Library

On April 7, Katia Juhel, Director of Libraries, will attend the Day for University and Research Institution Library and Scientific Information Managers (DIRBUIST).

On April 24, the library will host a visit by library professionals organized by the Regional Center for Library Career Training, Mediadix.

Photo Library

Of particular note

Réseau des Écoles françaises à l'Étranger

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