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Myanmar Culture and SocietyThe IIAS supported the conference on 'Myanmar Culture and Society: Traditional Spirit and Path to Modernity' in collaboration with Universities' Historical Research Centre, Yangon, Myanmar; the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Institute of Asian Studies, Bangkok, Thailand. The conference was held at the Institute of Asian Studies at the Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, from July 22 to 24 1998.
Dr Withaya Sucharithanarugse and the IIAS director, Professor Wim Stokhof, opened the conference stressing the need for an open academic debate on all aspects of Myanmar's history, culture, and society. They both hailed the conference as the first step towards a more frequent exchange of ideas between academics from Myanmar and abroad. The conference provided an opportunity for scholars from Myanmar, Thailand, the United States, France, and the Netherlands to exchange their views and to discuss subjects ranging from archaeology to the performing arts. A selection of the papers presented at the conference is listed below. In the field of archaeology, U Nyunt Han presented a paper on the role of the Department of Archaeology in the reconstruction of various palaces in Myanmar. Dr Elizabeth Moore from SOAS read a paper on the place of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar culture, past and present. Daw Ni Ni Myint presented the last paper of the archaeology session. She read a report on recent archaeological finds in Budalin township, Sagaing Division. The presenters in the field of archaeology and culture provided those attending with a wide variety of subjects. Prof. Than Tun underlined the value of early Myanmar mural paintings. He described several of the scenes found on the walls of temples and caves and warned against the present-day tendency of pious Buddhists to whitewash old temple walls. The reception and history of Ramayana performance in Myanmar was the subject of the paper read by the former chief librarian of Yangon University Library, U Thaw Kaung. His presentation was followed by that of Dr Khin Maung Nyunt who gave a very lively paper on Myanmar Folk Performing Arts: Past and Present. His presentation left no room to doubt that he had not only studied folk art, but had indeed immersed himself completely in it! Dr Nlyada Laosunthorn from Chulalongkorn University and U San Lwin (Director General of the Myanmar Language Commission) made valuable contributions on Myanmar literature and linguistics. Dr Nlyada Laosunthorn commented on the Rajadirit in Mon, Myanmar, and Thai literary tradition, and U San Lwin provided the conference with a paper on recent developments in Myanmar orthography. His paper proved to be very fruitful and a lively debate on the subject ensued. Finally, it was left to U Tun Aung Chain (Myanmar Historical Commission) to read the last paper. Lecturing on the development of the modern state in Myanmar, U Tun Aung Chain discussed the effects of the abolition of kingship and the introduction of a Western concept of the state on modern Myanmar society. The fifteen papers read at the conference never failed to provoke a lively discussion throughout. In Bangkok we met old friends and colleagues and made valuable new contacts. The conference thus laid the basis for a more intense co-operation in the field of Myanmar Studies in the future.
Stephan van Galen vangalen@let.leidenuniv.nl
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