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Echoes from a revolution : The history of Siam in eighteenth century European sources


Siamese history during the second half of the eighteenth century AD is marked by a number of political disruptions: the decline and fall of the Ban Phlu Luang dynasty and the destruction of the city of Ayutthaya in 1767; the Thonburi interregnum of King Taksin from 1767 to 1782; and the ascendency of a new ruling house in Bangkok under the reign of Rama I (r. 1782-1809). Although these events involved political, institutional and intellectual changes that fundamentally transformed the Siamese state within a few decades, historical sources dating from this turbulent period are scant. I will examine a number of Western accounts on Siam written in the eighteenth century, assess their contribution to Thai historiography, and demonstrate how these narratives relate to a more general European discourse on revolution and political change in Asia.

Dienstag, den 9. Dezember 2014
Zeit: 18 – 20 Uhr ct
Ort: Raum 123
Universität Hamburg
Asien-Afrika Institut
Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1,
Flügel Ost

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