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Chargement... Myth & History In Historiography of Early Burma: Pardigms, Primary Sources, & Prejudices (Ohio RIS Southeast Asia Series)par Michael Aung-Thwin
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After careful re-reading and analysis of original Old Burmese and other primary sources, the author discovered that four out of the five events considered to be the most important in the history of early Burma, and believed to have been historically accurate, are actually late-nineteenth and twentieth-century inventions of colonial historians caught in their own intellectual and political world. Only one of these is a genuine indigenous Burmese myth, but it too has been embellished by modern historians. The author discusses each of these five myths and concludes with an assessment of the current situation in Burma in the context of the new myths springing up today, thereby bringing the thirteenth century into the twentieth. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)929.102History and Geography Biography, genealogy, insignia Genealogy; Heraldry GenealogiesClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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Author Aung-Thwin tackles five major events in Burmese history that he believes have been misunderstood, misinterpreted, or just plain misrepresented. All make for fascinating reading. The first "deals with King Kulakya, 'the king felled by the Indians'." The second concerns "the epithet given to King Narathihapade of Pagan, known as Tarup Pliy Man (the king who fled the Chinese) and his significance in Burmese history." The third is the story of the Mongols attacking and destroying Pagan in 1287. The fourth "concerns the 'end' of the Pagan dynasty in 1287 after the death of 'the king who fled the Chinese' and 'the "fall" of Pagan'". And the final myth concerns the ethnicity of the three brothers of the Pagan court who "not only were blamed for the final demise of the Pagan kingdom...but also became the basis for interpreting the significance of the Kingdom of Ava--'the Shan period' in Burmese history." So all five events are related intimately with one another.
In short, Aung-Thwin makes short work of all five events and I'll site the one probably most familiar--that of the sack of Pagan. It probably didn't happen. There seems to have been confusion and misunderstandings of texts, dates and geography to name just three arguments. Yes, the Mongols attacked the kingdom of Pagan but it's unclear if the city of Pagan was reached. In fact, there's a good case to agree with Aung-thwin that it wasn't. More likely, he argues, that it crumbled through neglect, age, failing economies and other internal reasons (like the king's own son imprisoning him in an internal revolt). Each of the other four events have similar holes in their stories...and are a sharp reminder of the need for fact-based research, especially when contemplating commonly accepted historical 'facts'.
The author is no young man with a bee in his bonnet. He is, in fact, a brilliant scholar, a professor of Burmese history and historiography, familiar with both Burmese and Chinese sources, who began research in the subject matter covered in this volume while still a graduate student at the University of Michigan in the early 70s--40 years ago. Myth and History in Historiography of Early Burma was published jointly by the Ohio University Center for International Studies and ISEAS (the well-regarded Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore).
But read this fascinating book and decide for yourself. I'm already back-pedaling. ( )