A Bumper Crop of Shan Buddhist Scholarship
by Naw Liang (London, UK and Paris, France)

Mai soong kha!
I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer (or winter). Summer (for those of us in the Northern hemisphere) is can be an oddly busy time: summer vacations and other getaways; gardening, painting, puttering around, etc.; BBQs with friends and family; catching up on reading (the relaxing, laid back and more 'for entertainment only' kind) and so much more. Oddly, with all the time that we (well, some of us) have during the warmer months and with increased time at our disposal, it still strikes me as strange that other important things - completing some research that has been left hanging; working through a few tabled or half-burnt papers; catching up on the tonnes of academic reading that never seems to get a chance, never is prioritised - are ignored. Even though I notice this, I still do it. Shameful.

So, it is with great pleasure and deep interest that I write this post today. While I might be a bit lax with my concentration and scholarship, others are steaming ahead, and we are the much better for their efforts.

A Bumper Crop of Shan Buddhist Scholarship
While trolling through the 50-odd emails that have been choking my inbox of late, I came across something quite startling. In fact, I was so excited to see the title that I almost, in a fit of overzealous mouse work, deleted it by accident. That would have been traumatic to say the least.

Although not a regular reader, I have followed a key journal in Buddhist studies - Contemporary Buddhism - An Interdisciplinary Journal - for some time. It provides clear, informative and insightful snapshots and discussions about Buddhist issues throughout the world, though mainly in Asia as one might expect. And, with its interdisciplinary approach, it can even, at times, be relevant for the anthropological/identity studies likes of me. Furthermore, through my previous work with their group publisher and direct contact with several of the authors of its latest edition, I have come to know the publication quite well - inside and out. There is no doubt that it is a formidable volume in Buddhist studies worldwide, and its latest issue, special to Shan, also attests to its ability to focus both at surface and deeper levels. A wonderful work indeed.

Returning to our Shan focus, I was most (and pleasantly) surprised to see the most recent publication (Volume 10, Issue 1) has been entirely dedicated to Shan Buddhism - a topic that we can all salivate over. Producing an entire volume (see here with abstracts), instead of the odd article on the Shan, is an amazing achievement. It is also incredibly timely by cementing what we have known for some time - Shan Studies are not only growing, but evolving through more mature scholarship and academic legitimisation. They are now here to stay, and this volume provides the proof.

While I have yet to get my hands on a copy - old networks take time to navigate - I am assured that, when I do, I won't be able to put it down. Key figures in Shan studies - F. K. Lehman (Chit Hlaing), Nicola Tannembaum, Nancy Eberhardt, Susan Conway, Jane Ferguson, Jotika Khur-yearn and many others - have all contributed to what is likely to become a contemporary vade mecum on Shan Buddhism. If anyone has read through the text and would like to comment, your views, as always, are welcome.

Until next time,

Naw Liang

New Book: Chronicle of Chiang Khaeng: A Tai Lü Principality of the Upper Mekong by Volker Grabowsky and Renoo Wichasin
By Naw Liang

Mai soong kha.
It has been slow slogging with my research and writing for the All about Shan Studies blog recently. Maybe it's summer, which is supposed to be slow and perfect for study, but has proved to be even more busy than ever. However, I continue to have my eyes open for Shan information and news, while recent topics of interest - these include waving the flag for Shan nationalism and editing my last (way back in 2007 now) journey to Shan, Wa and Kokang States - continue to move forward, though slowly. More to come, I promise.

The following is a short summary of a recent academic publication focused on the Tai Lü - one of the many Tai groups - and the Chiang Khaeng kingdom that existed until the mid- to late-19th century on the eastern banks of the Upper Mekong River; this area is now the modern-day northern Lao PDR region of Luang Namtha. Author and academic Volker Grabowsky creates a distant link (see original posting here) between the Tai Lü kingdom of Chiang Khaeng and the Shan by stating that the "...ruler Cao Fa Sili Nò transfered the capital first from (Ban) Chiang Khaeng to Müang Yu (situated west of the Mekong in what is now [Shan State] Burma). From there the ruler's seat was finally moved to Müang Sing. Around 1887 more than 1,000 people were resettled from Müang Yu and other areas into the new capital of Müang Sing [which is located further east from the Mekong (see map here)]." Although tenuous, finding any link to Shan and the Shan State - historical or otherwise - is worthy of our interest. So, with a plausible link between these Tai groups, we take a deeper look at this new book.

Summary
Volker Grabowsky's and Renoo Wichasin's monograph 'Chronicle of Chiang Khaeng: A Tai Lü Principality of the Upper Mekong', published by the Center of Southeast Asian Studies, University of Hawai‘ii, is an important text for Upper Mekong studies. Described in a deeply and adeptly researched manner that goes beyond merely chronicling and translating four Lü chronicles, Grabowsky and Wichasin should be proud. Multilingual Grabowsky and Wichasin's text highlights an entrancing history, peppered with their recipe of meticulous footnoted annotations and in-depth research. The end result is a history that goes beyond this one principality in northwestern Laos and strives to discuss the interpolitics of power between the varying chiang and chao throughout the Upper Mekong, including modern Shan State. They touch on the Buddhist ethics of resident cultural centres, detailing varying concepts of hierarchy - tributes, regalia and pomp - as well as the results of elite decision-making, which include the brutal relocation of local populations caused by constant battles for human resources. This is gold for Shan-focused social/cultural anthropologists. Grabowsky and Wichasin also discuss myth and history, including juicy passages on sibling and spousal rivalries, Tai networking through intermarriage and how the elite use and abuse political alliances. Furthermore, the authors include key effects and events of the arrival of the British and French as well as growing engagement with China and Siam - first via earlier autonomous city states and eventually through the kingdom as a whole. Grabowsky and Wichasin also manage, masterfully, to paint Chiang Khaeng as a poster child South East Asian river state with multiple rulers and complex (and intertwined) histories. Comparisons and discussions of similarities to other kingdoms, such as those in neighbouring moder-day Shan State, are a distinct possibility.

The University of Hawai'i Press called 'Chronicles...a model of translation skill and historical acumen at its finest.' I cannot wait to get my hands on one to investigate the possible (and existing) links to and like comparisons with Shan kingdoms of the past. That, and to check to see if my 'summary' holds up to scrutiny.

Until next time,

Naw Liang