MANAGING LIVING HERITAGE SITES IN MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIA By Patcharawee Tunprawat A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Archaeology Graduate School SILPAKORN UNIVERSITY 2009 MANAGING LIVING HERITAGE SITES IN MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIA By Patcharawee Tunprawat A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Archaeology Graduate School SILPAKORN UNIVERSITY 2009 The Graduate School, Silpakorn University has approved and accredited the Thesis title of “Managing Living Heritage Sites in Mainland Southeast Asia” submitted by Miss Patcharawee Tunprawat as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Historical Archaeology ……........................................................................ (Associate Professor Sirichai Chinatangkul, Ph.D.) Dean of Graduate School ........../..................../.......... Thesis Advisors 1. Assoc. Prof. Sayan Praicharnjit 2. Mr. Pisit Charoenwongsa Thesis Examination Committee .................................................... Chairman (Prof. Phasook Indrawooth, Ph.D.) ............/......................../.............. .................................................... Member (Assoc. Prof. Chanan Vongvipak) ............/......................../.............. .................................................... Member .................................................... Member (Assoc. Prof. Sayan Praicharnjit) (Mr. Pisit Charoenwongsa) ............/......................../.............. ............/......................../.............. 48101904 : MAJOR : HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY KEY WORD : LIVING HERITAGE CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIA CONSERVATION PATCHARAWEE TUNPRAWAT : MANAGING LIVING HERITAGE SITES IN MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIA. THESIS ADVISORS : ASSOC. PROF. SAYAN PRAICHARNJIT AND PISIT CHAROENWONGSA. 238 pp. In the 14th century A.D. after the decline of Angkor and the rise of Pagan and Ayutthaya, Theravada Buddhism, from Sri Lanka, became the most prominent religion and has been practiced in Mainland Southeast Asia in present-day Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Myanmar, while Mahayana Buddhism, spread from China, became popular in present-day Viet Nam. The Buddhist worldviews governed how the traditional population interacted with past material remains and differentiated the traditional worldviews from the Western worldviews which were based on Christianity. It was noted that the West perceived time as linear and the cult of the holy relics dictated that values were inherent in materials whereas in the East values were ascribed to materials. The arrival of the Europeans in the late 19th century A.D. by way of Colonization greatly influenced the traditional worldviews. After France and England gained control of most parts of the region except Siam, they took it under their responsibilities to study the antiquities of the region which became the legacy of the colonizers. After WWII, the Wars of Independence that took place in many cities gradually made France and England relinquish their controls. Antiquities by then became icons for independence and nationalism for the natives. Though Siam was not colonized, its structure of heritage management was laid out by Westerners, which immersed Siam, which later became Thailand, in the Western concepts of conservation and heritage management. The Venice Charter launched in 1962 became the backbone of heritage conservation in many countries including Southeast Asia. The World Heritage Convention born in 1970s emphasized authenticity. This concept was later questioned and caused heritage professionals to revisit heritage management in their countries in order to move away from the fabric-based conservation, which is not applicable in all cases. During this period, looting has reached a new height, while the lack of awareness is a serious issue. Communities have been separated further from the heritage. In order to find a practical context-based framework to manage heritage sites in Mainland Southeast Asia, there is a need to explore the current trends and approaches in heritage management which will provide a basis to form a regional framework. This framework will then be combined with results from the case studies in the region and the fundamental concept of heritage conservation and management so as to come up with a model as well as guidelines for heritage managers which are based on the traditional system, making the heritage ‘living’. Department of Archaeology Graduate School, Silpakorn University Academic Year 2009 Student's signature ............................................................... Thesis Advisors' signature 1. ..……………......................... 2. ................................................ c Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following people who provided me with their time, materials, and valuable comments: Dr. Pisit Charoenwongsa, Dr. Phasook Indrawooth, Assoc. Prof. Sayan Praicharnjit, Assoc. Prof. Chanan Vongvipak, Dr. Pinraj Khanjanusthiti, Dr. Gamini Wijesuriya, Dr. Britt Baillie, Dr. Pornthum Thumwimol, U Nyunt Han, Dr. Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy, Mr. Simon Warrack, U Ba Shwe, Mr. Phong Vo Dang, Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha, Mr. Mark Chang, Ms. Le Thi Thu Thuy, Ms. Montira Horayangkura Unakul, Mr. Samlane Luangaphay, Ms. Tara Sharma, Dr. Ioanis Poulios, Ms.Katriina Simila, and Dr. Elizabeth Moore. I also thank friends and colleagues at SPAFA, ICCROM, GCI, and Silpakorn University who have always been supportive during the time of my research and shared with me their experiences. I would especially like to thank my colleagues in Phrae including Mr. Wuttikrai Pathong, Ms.Sunantana Saenprasert, Mr. Shinnaworn Chompoophan, Mr. Prayad and Mrs. Lantima Kaewmanee, as well as the Phrae project volunteers especially Ms.Pichya Boonpinon, Ms.Wannachan Chiewsilp, and Mr. Palawat Thammamitr. I am always thankful for my family especially my father and my mother without whom this thesis would not be accomplished. d Table of Contents Page Abstract................................................................................................................... c Acknowledgements................................................................................................. d List of Figures ........................................................................................................ g Chapter 1 Introduction................................................................................................. 1 2 Trends and Approaches in Heritage Management...................................... 9 Current Trends in Heritage Management ........................................... 9 Public Archaeology/ Community Archaeology.................................. 13 Heritage Management Approaches..................................................... 17 3 The Old World: Traditional Mainland Southeast Asia............................... 23 Mainland Southeast Asia and the Foundation of its Beliefs System... 23 Essence of Beliefs ............................................................................... 27 Traditional Concepts of Materiality and Time.................................... 31 Traditional Views on Past Material Remains and Conservation......... 36 Traditional Systems of Conservation and Management...................... 44 Summary ............................................................................................. 48 4 The Colonized Past ..................................................................................... 49 Western Colonization.......................................................................... 49 European Interests in Antiquities from the 19th Century A.D. to 1940s ............................................................................................... 58 Early Tourism in Mainland Southeast Asia ........................................ 88 Summary ............................................................................................. 97 5 Heritage and Politics................................................................................... 100 e Chapter Page 5 Thailand and the Birth of Heritge........................................................ 100 Independence of French Indochina and Its Heritage........................... 106 Burma’s Independence........................................................................ 117 New Challenges................................................................................... 121 6 Current Heritage Management Practices in Mainland Southeast Asia ...... 125 The Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar..................................................... 125 The Angkor Complex of Monuments, Cambodia............................... 138 The Plain of Jars, Lao PDR................................................................. 153 The Ancient Town of Hoi An, Viet Nam............................................ 166 The Historic City of Phrae, Thailand .................................................. 181 7 Conclusion and Recommendations............................................................. 197 The Journey of Heritage...................................................................... 197 Discussion on Heritage and Conservation........................................... 200 Analysis of Heritage Management Models ......................................... 203 Guidelines for Heritage Managers .....................................................