The Annotated Translation and Analysis of a Lao Historical Work of Literature, "Pheun Kham Thaung Luang"

FAIN: RZ-51115-09

Peter David Koret
Unaffiliated Independent Scholar (Bangkok 10406 Thailand)

An annotated translation and analysis of a French colonial period work of Lao Buddhist historical literature. (24 months)

Our proposed project consists of an annotated translation and analysis of a work of Lao historical literature, Pheun Kham Thaung Luang. Recently discovered, this manuscript is an early 20th century account of the history of French colonization. Reflective of pre-modern Lao historiography, historical events and the evolution of human society are viewed from the context of a Buddhist world view. It is the lengthiest Lao historical document in existence, and the only known documentation of the colonial period recorded from the Lao perspective. It is the most thorough Lao (and perhaps Southeast Asian) work of millenarian Buddhism, and can increase our understanding of how pre-modern Buddhist societies responded to the beginnings of modernization. It is of value in the study of the impact of colonialism on non-western societies, the evolution of the relationship between Buddhism and politics, Asian literature, and pre-modern conceptualizations of history.