Early Southeast Asia: Selected Essays 9781501731150

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Early Southeast Asia Selected Essays

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Cornell University

Euteen Wolters and 0. W. Wolters in 1995 (photograph courtesy of Virginia Hooker)

0. W. Wolters

edited by Craig J. Reynolds

Early Southeast Asia Selected Essays

SouTHEAST AsiA PROGRAM PuBLICATIONS

Southeast Asia Program Cornell University Ithaca, New York

2008

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Editorial Board Benedict R. O'G. Anderson Tamara Loos Stanley J. O'Connor Keith Taylor Andrew C. Willford Cornell Southeast Asia Program Publications 640 Stewart Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14850-3857 Studies on Southeast Asia No. 43

© 2008 Cornell Southeast Asia Program 0. W. Wolters, "Khmer 'Hinduism' in the Seventh Century,"© Oxford University

Press, 1979. Reprinted with permission. 0. W. Wolters, "Studying Srivijaya," ©Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal

Asiatic Society, 1979. Reprinted with permission.

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, no part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Cornell Southeast Asia Program. Printed in the United States of America ISBN-13: ISBN-13:

he 978-0-877277-73-6 pb 978-0-877277-43-9

Cover Design: Maureen Viele

TABLE OF CONTENTS Editor's Note

vii

List of Abbreviations

ix

Sources

xi

The Professional Lives of 0. W. Wolters, by Craig J. Reynolds Part I 1 2 3

Southeast Asia as a Southeast Asian Field of Study Early Southeast Asian Political Systems China Irredenta: The South

Part II 4 5

8

The Long Duree of Malay History

Studying Snvijaya Restudying Some Chinese Writings on Sriwijaya

Part III 6 7

Southeast Asia as a Region

Mainland Mandalas

Ayudhya and the Rearward Part of the World Jayavarman II's Military Power: The Territorial Foundation of the Angkor Empire Khmer "Hinduism" in the Seventh Century

Part IV

Vietnamese Historiography and Literature

Historians and Emperors in Vietnam and China: Comments Arising out of LeVan Httu's History, Presented to the Tr'an Court in 1272 10 Ph;;tm Stt M;;tnh's Poems Written while Patrolling the Vietnamese Northern Border in the Middle of the Fourteenth Century 11 On Telling a Story of Vietnam in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries

9

1

39 39 57 65

77 77 109 149 149 165

177 193 193 211 225

EDITOR'S NOTE The idea behind this volume is to introduce the work of 0. W. Wolters to new generations of scholars entering the field of Southeast Asian history, whether it be of the modern, premodern, or early periods. Given the linguistic skills required for primary research in early Southeast Asian history, it is understandable that few historians take up its study. It occurred to me that one way to encourage new work in the field would be to assemble a volume of essays by Wolters, whose knowledge of Chinese enabled him to reach across the region and write about early Indonesia, early Siam and Cambodia, and early Vietnam. Before Wolters became a university professor he served in the Malayan Civil Service, and his research into the cultural make-up of precolonial ruling elites thus takes on a particular interest. As someone not born and bred exclusively in academia, he brought to bear on his study of the ancient past his practical experience as a colonial official. For this reason, the nexus between his knowledge of colonial government, the Malayan sultanates, and the histories he wrote of early Southeast Asia after retiring from the colonial service invites questions. In the course of conceiving of the volume, selecting and editing the essays, and researching the introduction, I corresponded with many colleagues who generously gave of their time and expertise. Barbara Watson Andaya, Leonard Andaya, Haydon Cherry, Tamara Loos, John Miksic, Tony Milner, Michael Montesano, John Seidel, and Eric Tagliacozzo offered enthusiastic support for the feasibility of the project. The advice of Stanley O'Connor and Keith Taylor was particularly helpful in my decision to proceed with the idea. I thank Jacob Ramsay for his views on how the volume should be assembled and for helping to prepare it for publication, as did Nicholas Farrelly. Li Tana kindly helped with Chinese characters, and both she and Thien Do helped with the transliteration of Vietnamese. Benedict Anderson, John Butcher, David Chandler, Virginia Hooker, John Legge, Bill O'Malley, and Maurizio Peleggi read drafts of the introduction and made valuable comments, as did Mary Kilcline Cody, Mark Emmanuel, Barry Hooker, Ian Proudfoot, and Eric Tagliacozzo. I am particularly grateful to Peter Zinoman, an astute critic of several drafts who pointed out lines of inquiry that had not occurred to me. Virginia Hooker and John Legge shared with me their personal correspondence with Oliver Wolters, and I thank Tim Harper, Hong Lysa, Alaistair MacLaughlan, Michael Montesano, Leon Comber, and Carl Trocki for answering research questions. In a long letter, John Gullick, who had also served in the Malayan Civil Service, put in perspective his own memories of British rule in Malaya. Throughout the project Tony Milner offered insights into the connections between Wolters's careers as a colonial official and as a scholar. Mrs. Euteen Wolters graciously put up with my numerous inquiries about her life with Oliver Wolters, particularly during the early years in Malaya. I appreciate her forbearance, hospitality, and good nature in answering my questions.

viii

Early Southeast Asia

Deborah Hamsher, Fred Conner, and the editorial team for the Southeast Asia Program's publications provided timely advice and guided the project to fruition. My family-Sue Rider, Simon, and Oliver-tolerated the demands on my time of yet another mysterious academic project that seemed to go on forever.

Craig J. Reynolds June 2007, Canberra

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BEFEO

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