On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to express my appreciation for all the efforts of the many people and organizations that have contribute to this event.

 

This conference is a part of the celebration of the auspicious 150th Birth Anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Srisavarindira, the Queen Grandmother of Thailand who was recognized as one of the World’s Eminent Personalities by UNESCO in 2012.

 

Deep gratitude and recognition must also be given to The Rockefeller Foundation for their generous financial support given to this event.

 

Finally, sincere appreciation is extended to all the scholars who have graciously accepted to share their wisdom in this venue. Their contribution is a genuine reflection of the success of this auspicious conference.

 

 

Suchitra Chongstitvatana, Ph.D

 

Director, Institute of Thai Studies

Chulalongkorn University

08.00-08.30

Registration

09.00-09.15

Arrival of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

 

OPENING CEREMONY
     Room: Rainbow
     MC: Surapeepan Chatraporn

09.15-09.30

Presentation of a report to HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
     Pirom Kamolratanakul
     – President of Chulalongkorn University

09.30-09.40

Opening address by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

 

PLENARY SESSION
     Room: Rainbow
     Moderator: Surapeepan Chatraporn

09.30-10.00

Music Performance: Raga: Madhuvanti Drut Teen Tal
     Vaishali K. Srinivas  
     – Bangalore University

10.00-10.20

Queen Srisavarindira: A Leading Intellectual of Siam
     Prapod Assavavirulhakarn
     – Chulalongkorn University

10.20-10.40

Break

10.40-11.10

Madsi and  Mahapajapati as Great Women in Buddhist Tradition
     Suwanna Satha-anand
     – Chulalongkorn University

11.10-14.00

Lunch break

 

PARALLEL SESSION

14.00-15.30

Parallel Session A

 

Room	Topic
Conference A	Encounter with the West: Asian Women and New Challenges
Conference B	Women and Buddhism (1)
Rainbow	Asian Women in Film (1)

Encounter with the West: Asian Women and New Challenges 
     Room: Conference A
     Moderator: Theera Nuchpiam

Encarnacion Alzona: A Product of Two Cultures

     Maria Luisa Camagay
     – University of the Philippines

Education Policy of France and the Changes of Women in Vietnam before 1945
     Dang Thi Van Chi
     – Vietnam National University (Hanoi)

First Ladies: The Feminine Ideal, Image and Influence in 20th century China
     Wasana Wongsurawat 
     – Chulalongkorn University

 

Women and Buddhism (1)
     Room: Conference B
     Moderator: Damien Keown

Mahāmāyā in Thai Mural Paintings: With Special Reference to the Scene of the Teaching in Tāvatiṃsa Heaven, the Literary Sources and Comparable Japanese Paintings 
     Toshiya Unebe
     – Nagoya University

The Feminine Image as Seen in the Story of Mallikā
     Venerable Chongdok C. H. Park
     – Joong-Ang Sangha University

Saṅghamittā and Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia 
     Hwang Soonil 
     – Dongguk University

 

 

Asian Women in Film (1)
     Room: Rainbow
     Moderator: Li Sichen

Juree Osiri: National Artist in Performing Arts (Dubber and Actress), 1998
     Noppol Gomarachun
     – Thai Film Director

15.30-15.40

Break

 
15.40-17.30

Parallel Session B

 

Room	Topic
Conference A	Social Transformation and Creation of Women’s Social Spaces
Conference B	Women and Buddhism (2)
Rainbow	Asian Women in Film (2)

    

Social Transformation and Creation of Women’s Social Spaces
     Room: Conference A
     Moderator: Saikaew Thipakorn

Sodsai Pantoomkomol: Pioneer of Thai Modern Theatre
     Nopamat Veohong
     – Chulalongkorn University

"A Silent Revolution?" The 'Free Education Initiative of 1943' and the Status of Women in Post-Independence Sri Lanka
     Carmen Wickramagamage
     – University of Peradeniya

Treading Oblique Paths across Ideological Grids: Indian Women Writers in Bhasha Literature
     Vaishali K. Srinivas  
     – Bangalore University

My Life and Struggle as a Woman Writer in Malaysia
     Zurinah Hassan 
     – University of Malaya

 

Women and Buddhism (2)
     Room: Conference B
     Moderator: Damien Keown

Women in the Vanguard? Reflections on Early Indian Buddhism
     Peter Skilling
     – École française d'Extrême-Orient

Maritime Transmission of the Bhiksuni Order to China 
     Venerable Guang Xing
     – Hong Kong University

 

Asian Women in Film (2)
     Room: Rainbow
     Moderator: Li Sichen

Her First Song: A Film about Na Hyesuk
     Soyoung Kim
     – Korean Film Critic and Filmologue

08.30-09.00

 

Registration

 

 

PLENARY SESSION

 

Negotiating New Boundaries:  Past and Present Experiences of Asian Women Intellectuals

     Room: Rainbow

     Moderators: Nuangnoi Boonyanate

 

09.00-09.25

 

Madsi and  Mahapajapati as Great Women in Buddhist Tradition

      Suwanna Satha-anand

      – Chulalongkorn University

 

09.25-09.50

 

Contemporary Women Leaders of Korean Buddhism: The Case of Myeongseong Sunim, Dean of Unmun-sa Seminary

     Eun-su Cho

     – Seoul National University

 

09.50-10.15

 

Toward the Emergence of New Women’s Leadership: Contemporary Japanese Society with Conflicts of Values

     Natsumi Ikoma

     – International Christian University

 

10.15-10.45

 

Break

 

10.45-11.10

 

The Story of Sisters in Islam:  Re-reading, Re-thinking and Pushing Boundaries

     Rashidah Shuib

     – Universiti Sains Malaysia

 

11.10-11.35

 

Reflecting the Social Space of Women's Education and Knowledge in Korea: Focusing on Three Women Intellectuals of Rha Hye-Seok, Kim Hwal-ran and Mo Yun-suk

     Eun-shil Kim

     – Ewha Womans University

 

11.35-12.00

 

Discussion

 

12.00-13.30

 

Lunch break

 

 

PARALLEL SESSION

 

13.30-15.00

 

Parallel Session C

 

Room	Topic
Conference A	Women and the Rise of Nationalism
Conference B	Burgeoning Religious Intersections: Buddhist Nuns, Laywomen and an Asian Mary
Rainbow	Asian Women in Film (3)

 

 

Women and the Rise of Nationalism

     Room: Conference A

     Moderator: Montira Rato

 

Queen Sisowath Kossamak and the Creation of Cambodian Cultural Identity

     Klairung Amratisha

     – Chulalongkorn University

 

Vietnamese Women in the Process of National History

     Dao Thi Uyen

     – Hanoi University of Education

 

“Even Women Must Fight!”: From State Propaganda to State Feminism in Vietnam

     Arpaporn Sumrit   

     – Asia Regional Centre

 

 

Burgeoning Religious Intersections:

Buddhist Nuns, Laywomen and an Asian Mary

     Room: Conference B

     Moderator: Arthid Sheravanichkul

 

Reverence for Kuan Yin and Asian Women Empowerment

     Susanne Kerekes

     University of Pennsylvania

 

Our Lady of the Mekong River: The Holy Mother of Vietnamese Catholics and Khmer Buddhists in Cambodia

     Thien-Huong T. Ninh

     – Williams College

 

The Situation of Nuns and Laywomen in Cambodia

     Hang Chansophea

     – Independent Researcher

 

 

Asian Women in Film (3)

     Room: Rainbow

     Moderator: Li Sichen

 

Yasmin Ahmad: Malaysian Film Maker Who Transcended Differences between Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus

     Jovian Lee

     – Leo Burnett, Malaysia

 

15.00-15.30

 

Break

 

 

CLOSING CEREMONY

     Room: Rainbow

     MC: Pram Sounsamut

 

15.30-16.00

 

Award and presentation of tokens of appreciation

 

Closing speech by the organizing committee

Prapod Assavavirulhakarn

 

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

 

 

As the momentous developments of the mid-19th century were forcing much of the Asian continent into colonialism, while at the same time propelling a few strongholds of resistance towards modernity, many of the ‘modern women’ of Asia were simultaneously urged to the forefront of the region’s budding intellectual circles. Queen Srisavarindira was one of the most influential pioneers for Siamese women intellectuals of the 19th century. In addition to her spectacular intellectual capacity and a fine balance between genuine cosmopolitanism and sincere concern for the development and interest of the Siamese kingdom, Queen Srisavarindira also occupied a position of great influence that allowed her to support fully her husband, King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, in various modernization projects. Queen Srisavarindira was not only a leading intellectual of the kingdom, but also one of the most influential architects of modern education and public health in 19th century Siam.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Suwanna Satha-anand

 

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

 

 

This paper offers an analysis of crucial moments in the lives of two great Buddhist women, namely, Madsi and Mahapajapati. The former shows great strength and determination to maintain the traditional role of woman as wife by insisting on following her husband, Prince Vessantara into the forest. The latter shows great determination to seek an alternative spiritual life for women by seeking full ordination for women. Both women continue to serve as role models for women in the contemporary Buddhist world as they represent two major choices in the life of Buddhist women, one the traditional supportive role within the family, and the other, the possibility of ordination or the spiritual path for women themselves.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Maria Luisa Camagay

 

Department of History, University of the Philippines

 

 

Three words may be associated with the name Encarnacion Alzona: historian, feminist and Rizalist. It is in these roles that she gave her best and contributed the most to the country. She dedicated her life to three important pursuits: ameliorating the conditions of women by being at the forefront of the suffrage movement in the Philippines; undertaking scholarly writing and research about the history and heroes of the Philippines; and popularizing the life and works of Jose Rizal by translating into English the works of the hero written in Spanish. In 1983, Dr. Alzona was conferred the title of National Scientist by President Ferdinand Marcos in recognition of her being “an eminent historian and mentor of a generation of other eminent historians in the period of transition after the Philippine Revolution and the war against the United States to the present time…and for her other writings on notables of the Post-Revolutionary era which made available to our people a legacy of the past.”

 

This short paper aims to document how an historical watershed is reflected in the life and writings of Encarnacion Alzona.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Dang Thi Van Chi

 

Faculty of Vietnamese studies and language, Vietnam National University (Hanoi)

 

 

Throughout history, women have contributed considerably to nation-building and national defence in Vietnam. However, they have not gained social positions commensurate with their contributions. At the end of the nineteenth century, Vietnam became a French colony. During this period, French political, economic, and cultural policies had a major impact on the Vietnamese population, including women. Among the changes brought about by colonialism, I argue that women’s education was the most fundamental as it became the root cause of all modern changes in women’s lives. Owing to education, women changed their thinking about their social roles which prompted them to not only engage in fighting for their rights, but also for the rights of their nation. This paper explores the French colonial education policy and its influence on women’s lives, especially the construction and reconstruction of the consciousness of their social role. This paper makes use of information from the press and memoirs written by female authors during that time.

 

Methodologically, I consider the press as a channel through which women’s consciousness has been manifested. This is the channel through which women have expressed their aspirations and also has helped promote the organization and development of a community practice which has turned Vietnamese women from a mere social labor force into a crucial political force. This transformation has contributed to Vietnam’s social change process and Vietnam’s global integration in the first half of the 20th century. Additionally, the press and memoirs indicate a change in consciousness within a specific historical context and in the midst of economic, political, and cultural interactions.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Wasana Wongsurawat

 

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

 

 

Among the most contentious subjects of modernity in 20th century China is the ideal of the modern Chinese woman. In a society that was so ferociously striving for novel/Westernized ideals – modernization, industrialization, equality, democracy, socialism, etc. – who could half the population look to as the feminine role model and which virtues and qualities should she represent? The development and transformation in the image, representation and influence of Chinese first ladies from Mme. Sun Yat-sen to Mme. Chiang Kai-shek and Mme. Mao Zedong (no.4) provides a spectacular reflection of the development and transformation of the feminine ideal and expectations towards the role and contributions of Chinese women in every aspect of the modern life in 20th century China. The ideal Chinese woman journeyed from the illiterate, but virtuous wife and mother at the turn of the century, to the childless cosmopolitan nationalist of Republican China, and finally, to the fervent revolutionary and political extremist of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Toshiya Unebe

 

Graduate School of Letters, Nagoya University

 

 

Among the scenes of the Buddha’s biography depicted in temple uposatha halls in Thailand, the scene of the teaching of his mother in Tāvatiṃsa Heaven is often positioned centrally behind the main Buddha image. Moreover, the scene probably provides the basic concept of the mural as a whole. In the scene of the Tāvatiṃsa teaching, we usually find Sakka (Indra) at the side of the Buddha, with surrounding rows of male and female deities as the audience. Usually on the opposite side of Sakka, a saluting female figure is depicted. The present speaker has identified her as the mother of the Buddha, Mahāmāyā.

 

In the Theragāthā, a disciple Kāḷudāyin reports that Mahāmāyā passed away after the delivery of the Bodhisatta, Prince Siddhattha, and then she was reborn in Tusita Heaven. According to the commentary, however, she was reborn as a male. Therefore, as far as the Pali commentary is concerned, the above identification should be questionable. In Thailand, Mahāmāyā is not just regarded as the one who gave birth to the Bodhisatta, she is also the one who receives the Abhidhamma, the most profound teaching of the Buddha. In this sense, she represents women intellectuals in the realms of humans and deities.

 

In this presentation, I will show the scene in question as found in murals found in Thonburi, Thailand and an illustration in a folded paper manuscript. Then I examine related Pali passages. Lastly, I will show and examine the Japanese images of the Mahāparinirvāṇa, in which Mahāmāyā is always depicted as a female.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Venerable Chongdok C. H. Park

 

Department of Buddhist Scripture Translation, Joong-Ang Sangha University

 

 

This story is the beginning part of the Śākyas’ massacre by Virūḍhaka in the Mūlasarvāstivādavinaya Kṣudrakavastu (MSVKv). From the viewpoint of social history, this story reflects women’s position in Indian society. The position of women in this story is not wholly Buddhist, but rather the addition of Buddhist values in a pan-Indian context. The view of women in this story is not wholly positive. The ancient Indian attitude toward women was in fact ambivalent. Woman was at once a goddess and a slave, a saint and a strumpet. The same ambiguous image of women runs through this Buddhist story. From the viewpoint of literary theory, the Mallikā story is an example of the Indo-European Cinderella. This story shows that perhaps the oldest extant version of the Indo-European Cinderella is in India and is faithful to its original structure.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Hwang Soonil

 

Department of Indian Philosophy, Dongguk University

 

 

Buddhist nuns are, I think, real Asian women intellectuals in the Ancient Indic World. One of the most famous nuns in the Southern Theravāda tradition could be Saṅghamittā, a daughter of the renowned King Ashoka in the Mauryan Empire in Northern India. Two very important events are related to Saṅghamittā in Southern Buddhism: the starting of the nun ordination tradition in Sri Lanka and transmitting a branch of the Bodhi tree from Magadha to Sri Lanka. The legacy of Saṅghamittā is still celebrated in Sri Lanka during the full moon day of December every year, known as Sanghamitta Poya. The popular story of Saṅghamittā has been based mainly on the scattered episode that has appeared in the Sri Lankan chronicles. We can even reconstruct the entire biography of Saṅghamittā from the various part of the Mahāvaṃsa, which shows the strong inference of the Mahāvihāra, one of the most traditional orders in Sri Lanka. This story represents the image of Saṅghamittā as developed and preserved within the Mahāvihārins.

 

By contrast, Saṅghamittā did not appear in the legend of the King Ashoka (Aśoka-avadana) as developed and preserved in Northern India. Two Chinese pilgrims talk of something different relating to Saṅghamittā. Xuanzang regards Mahendra, possibly the brother of Saṅghamittā, as a brother of King Ashoka. He added that Mahendra stayed in Southern India before moving to Sri Lanka to propagate Buddhism over the entire island. The planting of the Bodhi tree is also told differently by Faxian who lived in Sri Lanka during the 4th century AD. His story could represent the perspective of the Abhayagiri vihāra, one of the rival sects of the Mahāvihāra in ancient Sri Lanka. Here the Bodhi tree was transmitted not by Saṅghamittā, but through the direct order of a former king in Anuradhapura.

 

In this presentation, I explore various episode of Saṅghamittā that have appeared in Sri Lankan chronicles as compared with Northern Buddhist legends, as well as the records of Chinese pilgrims. I hope to show the importance of Saṅghamittā’s legacy in Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Juree Osiri: National Artist in Performing Arts (Dubber and Actress), 1998

     Noppol Gomarachun

     – Thai Film Actor / Director

 

Her First Song: A Film about Na Hyesuk

     Soyoung Kim

     – Korean Film Critic and Filmologue

 

Yasmin Ahmad: Malaysian Film Maker Who Transcended Differences between Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus

     Jovian Lee

     – Leo Burnett, Malaysia

 

 

Asian film has been part of Asian life and culture for a long time. It reflects the Asian root and becomes a historical documentary of living that always stays with people. Making a film has a complicated process that involved with many artists and craftsman from director, actor, screenwriter, cinematographer, art director to technician, grip, gaffer, etc.

To mention Asian woman filmmakers, there are quite some outstanding directors and actors who play major role in Asian film. This session, “Asian Woman in Film”, will bring artist and scholar from Thailand, Korea, and Malaysia to share their experience and study of splendid woman artists who accomplished their art.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Nopamat Veohong

 

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

 

 

In 1962, a young and multi-talented rising Hollywood star, after graduating with distinction with a Master’s degree in Theatre Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles, chose the conscientious career path of returning to her motherland and leaving behind the glamorous life of tinsel town, having declined a hard-earned proposition from a major movie studio. After joining the teaching staff of the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Sodsai Pantoomkomol (née Vanij-Vadhana, stage name Sondi Sodsai) initiated a curriculum in dramatic arts in 1964, the first time that modern theatre had ever been incorporated into the Thai higher education system. Ever since then she has worked relentlessly to lay a firm foundation for modern theatre. Over the years, she has staged numerous plays from the repertoire of modern drama and has thus introduced the Thai public to distinctive examples of world dramatic literature. Hundreds of graduates from this institution, and the acting school she helped found at Thai Television Channel 3, have been instrumental and active in all areas of theatre, film and television, as well as in the entertainment industry as a whole, particularly in the fields of acting, directing and dramatic and creative writing. As a pioneer of modern theatre whose huge contribution has been to the benefit of the academic and professional arenas in modern theatre, her role as teacher, scholar and artist has been widely recognized and her powerful influence on Thai modern theatre remains strong today. In 2011, the Department of Dramatic Arts, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, which she established single-handedly in 1972, honoured her by naming its new theatre The Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts. In 2012, she was given the title of National Artist in Performing Arts.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Carmen Wickramagamage

 

Department of English, University of Peradeniya

 

 

The year 1943 saw the most indisputably, socially transformative measure to date being introduced in colonial Ceylon: ‘Free Education,’ from primary school through university. The measure, proposed and pushed through the Legislature by members of the Education Reforms Committee with leadership by C.W.W. Kannangara, was accompanied by another equally radical proposal to replace the earlier two-tiered system of education (offering fee-levying English medium education to the ‘haves’ and free vernacular-medium education to the ‘have-nots’) with compulsory ‘mother-tongue’ instruction to all. Today, there is unanimous agreement that the ‘Free Education Initiative’, introduced to Ceylon on the cusp of independence from Britain, has turned education into the single most important instrument of social justice in post-independence Sri Lanka; freeing individuals from the debilitating impact of ascribed social status, such as caste, class and gender, and instituting a meritocracy of sorts where the deserving individual can move up the social and economic ladder on the basis of merit, irrespective of their ‘inherited disabilities’. However, although ‘gender’ is mentioned as one of the ‘debilitating’ hierarchies made unstable by ‘Free Education’, there is little research to date on how transformative the impact of the ‘Free Education Initiative’ has been on the social, economic and cultural status of Lankan women. The present study, while highlighting the decidedly more marked impact of the ‘Free Education Initiative’ on women than on men, also raises questions regarding what exactly has been its impact on the gendered status-quo in post-independence Sri Lanka. The paper will therefore discuss, on the one hand, available statistics on literacy rates and women’s educational achievements over its 70-year tenure, which attest to the ineluctably positive impact of Free Education on women. The paper will, on the other hand, look at data on women’s participation rates in income-generating employment, their numbers in the upper echelons of the administrative and managerial cadres, the percentages of women in formal electoral politics, the representations of women in mainstream and dominant cultural artefacts, and the ubiquitous phenomenon of violence against girls and women, in order to ask how much the ‘returns to education’ have translated into a higher social and cultural status for Lankan women. The paper can therefore be said to revolve around the question: Has the ‘Free Education Initiative’ been able to live up to its promise in the case of women or is the impact to be seen as ‘equivocal’ at best?

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Vaishali K. Srinivas

 

Department of English, Bangalore University

 

 

In a multilingual society such as India, literary studies should make us aware of the very important dimension of our cultural existence, rather than shut us off from it. We cannot become oblivious of this polyphony, which is creative and enriching. Linguistic fluidities, multilingualities and an active kind of bilingualism have been the salient features of modern literary movements in the various regional languages of the Indian subcontinent. This recognition and validation of the autonomy of diverse traditions, cultures, experiential and epistemological centres are communicated most eloquently in the range and depth of literature produced in the “Bhashas” in India. The ways in which Indian local literary cultures have organically evolved by actively confronting, reconfiguring, negotiating and resisting the hegemony of Eurocentric models is an exciting saga told in a perspicacious manner by the Bhasha writers. This, in itself, reinforces the idea of decentralisation and the actual experience of being with living traditions. It is also a process of legitimising non-metropolitan literary texts as potent cultural signifiers.

 

Our literary histories have essentially had an undoubtedly male supremacist orientation. It is no small wonder that the marginalised voices in the pages of Bhasha literature have been those of women. Female literary creativity has always had to contend precariously with bewilderingly complex patriarchal surveillance mechanisms. Examples are plentiful in the diverse Bhasha literature of India. How have our women writers in Indian Bhashas managed to surmount structures of disenfranchisement such as the caste hierarchies overlapping with gender inequalities and social stratification? How have they contested margins and ideologies that have been hostile to women’s literary production like forms of gendered censorship?

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Zurinah Hassan

 

Academy of Malay Studies, University of Malaya

 

 

This paper begins with an introduction to contemporary Malay literature, focusing on the role and contributions of women writers in the development of literature and intellectualism in Malaysia. The emergence of women as writers has been traced back to 1936 with the publication of a poem in the magazine, Al-Hikmah. The poem entitled “Perempuan Mesti Bangun (Women Must Wake Up)” was written by Zainun Nasir. It was after the Japanese occupation and post independence that the activities of Salmi Manja, Adibah Amin and Anis Sabirin became more noticeable and made an impact, along with the male writers of the Asas 50 (an association of writers of the fifties). Women continued to contribute in various genres (novels, short stories, playwrights and poetry) in the sixties and seventies. The paper will give an account of women writing to the present date.

 

The second part of the paper will present an autobiographical account of the writer’s personal experience, involvement and challenges in becoming a female writer in Malaysia illustrated by poems and short stories which reflect the plight of women in society. This can serve as a case study of the growth of a female creative writer amidst traditional and cultural constraints.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Peter Skilling

 

French School of Asian Studies, École française d'Extrême-Orient

 

 

Buddhist women were active participants in the construction of early Buddhism in India. Nuns and laywomen were among the sponsors of monuments, monasteries, and statues of the Buddha across India, and a collection of verses attributed to nuns is among the earliest documents of female literature in India, or, perhaps, worldwide. Were women merely donors, or were they also intellectual innovators? This paper reflects on this difficult and complex question by examining inscriptions and early Buddhist texts.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Venerable Guang Xing

 

Centre of Buddhist Studies, University of Hong Kong

 

 

This short paper is a study of the issues concerning the transmission of the Bhiksuni Order to China from Sri Lanka. It is reported in Baochang’s [寶唱] (467-534?) Biqiunizhuan (the Biography of Nuns) that an Indian merchant named Nanti [竺難提] came to China by ship in 429 by the sea route from the south. He brought with him eleven Buddhist nuns to establish the Bhiksuni Order in China, three died on the way and eight survived. However, since the requirement for ordination ceremony is ten nuns, the merchant Nanti was asked to go back and bring some more nuns. As a result, the merchant Nanti brought another three nuns headed by Devasara to China in 433, and, thus the Bhiksuni Order was established in China. This story demonstrates first, the close relationship between merchants and Buddhism and how, without the help of merchants, Buddhism might not have been so successfully transmitted to other part of Asia. This is particularly true for the sea route from India to China. Second, the importance of the marine trade route from South Asia through South East Asia to China and the Far East is shown.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Natsumi Ikoma

 

Department of Art, Literature, and Music, International Christian University

 

 

Even though Japan is recognized as one of the most advanced countries in the world, with respect to gender equality, Japan falls behind many countries supposedly less developed and less affluent. The Global Gender Gap Report 2012 ranks Japan at 101st. In East Asia, Japan is ranked below the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This is a strange phenomenon, considering the high percentage of women with university educations, and the increase in the number of women with occupations outside the home. My paper shows how conflicting views on gender still exist in Japan, and how the old male-centric view has so far hindered the emergence of true leadership among women. Even though women today have university educations, their space in the society is not the same as their male co-workers. Women are expected to take responsibility in home making and child rearing, as well as contribute to economic activities. Such imposed double and triple responsibilities put added stress on women; some young women who have the wish to become a housewife, are thus retreating to traditional women’s space. Although many companies nowadays have the policy of equal payment for equal work, since women cannot work as much and as hard as men given their responsibility at home, women are paid less and are less frequently promoted. As a result, there have not been many women of high enough status to influence the society and its views. Recently, however, we are witnessing more women aspire to become leaders. Dissatisfied with the current system of the society, they start their own businesses and networks so that they can create their own space and a way of life that suits their needs. This trend may bring about true leadership in women to effect a fundamental change in Japanese society.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Eun-su Cho

 

Department of Philosophy, Seoul National University

 

 

In this paper, I would like to show how Korean Buddhist nun (bhiksuni) leaders were able to cope with the drastic growth in material wealth and social changes that took off in 1970s Korea, and what strategies they employed in order to adapt to a fast changing world. The main center of analysis is Unmun-sa Monastery, currently the largest educational institution for Buddhist nuns in Korea. In particular, I focus on the reformation of the educational system at the monastery and the cadre of leaders that were birthed in this process. Although Unmun-sa has had a long history dating back over a thousand years, it remained an insignificant temple until the ravages of the Korean War in 1950 reduced it to its foundations. Rebuilding the temple from rubble, its spatial expansion provided an opportunity for people to come together and create a vessel that forged and tempered budding leaders. Ven. Myeongseong Sunim (1930- ) was at the head of such leadership for more than thirty years, from 1977 to present as the abbess and the Dean of the Unmun-sa Bhiksuni Seminary; her efforts have been aided by a few equally charismatic strategists-cum-disciples. I examine how these leaders managed the business of the monastery, both inside the monastic compound and out, and how they found success in garnering support from not only pious lay Buddhists, but also businessmen and politicians.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Rashidah Shuib

 

School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia

 

 

Islam, in Malaysia, is a world sensitively guarded by those who are considered or who consider themselves “qualified” to talk about it and therefore, the guardians of the religion. In Malaysia, Islam is not merely a religion of an individual’s relationship with God, but is intricately fused with issues of nationalism, ethnic identity, ethnic-based politics, the politicisation of religion and culture, the perceived threat and excitement of modernisation and the global rise of political Islam. Set against this background, the story of Sisters In Islam (SIS), a controversial NGO which challenges the “exclusive” control of Islam in Malaysia, represents not only women’s activism at work, but more importantly, the intellectual contribution to a re-thinking and re-interpretation of women’s issues and women’s position as defined by those “qualified” within the Islamic framework. Over the years, SIS’s focus has gone beyond its initial issues of problems of Muslim women with the court system, and has expanded to issues of freedom of speech about religion (Islam); freedom of religion, freedoms in and from religion; women's and human rights in Islam; gender equality, and gender justice that are found in SIS's intellectual perspective, its advocacy and activism work on Islam and Islamic laws (shariah) – personal (Islamic Family Law) and public (SCOA) laws. This paper traces the growth of SIS, analyses its writings and the various discourses and reactions that SIS has received. This paper also highlights the work of two important personalities in SIS; Zainah Anwar and Norani Othman, whose work and writings continuously formed a strong intellectual backbone in the organisation. From a local NGO, SIS gave birth to MUSAWAH, which is a global women’s movement premised on seeking justice within the framework of Islam. In negotiating boundaries for voice and space within the Islamic thoughts in Malaysia, what was once local has its offshoot as a global movement in the Muslim world.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Eun-Shil Kim

 

Department of Women's Studies, Ewha Womans University

 

 

This paper explores the relationship between education/knowledge, modernity and women in Korea by examining the lives of three women intellectuals. First is Rha Hye-Seok, who was a famous and spotlighted Western style painter, as well as writer, during the colonial period in Korea, but died on the road; the second is Kim Hwalran, who was a famous women’s leader and educator during the nation building period in Korea and later was criticized as a Japanese collaborator; third is Mo Yunsuk who was a famous poet and writer and deeply involved in the formation of South Korean nation building, but was attacked as a kind of vamp whose femininity and sexuality were used for political intention in the public sphere. These women appeared as leaders and intellectuals in colonial Korea and were revered, as well as scandalized, in modern Korea.

 

This paper will deal with three points: Firstly, what is the meaning and power of modern education and knowledge for women in the period of the colonial and nation-building in Korea, in order to situate Korean women intellectuals' ways of understanding the world and themselves. Secondly, I describe some ideas of a few Western and Asian women intellectuals of the same period. I examine how women intellectuals deal with the idea of being modern women working in public in their societies. Thirdly, I make a postcolonial argument of why we need to explore, visualize and write about histories of women intellectuals in Asia.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Klairung Amratisha

 

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

 

 

Queen Sisowath Kossamak (1904-1975), born Princess Sisowath Kossamak Nearireath, was the daughter of King Sisowath Monivong and the mother of King Norodom Sihanouk. When Cambodia gained independence in 1955 and King Sihanouk abdicated to enter politics, his parents, Prince Norodom Suramarit and Princess Kossamak, jointly succeeded their son on the throne. After King Suramarit’s death in 1960, Queen Kossamak continued to perform the ceremonial functions of the monarchy until the proclamation of the Khmer Republic in 1970. Although wielding no political power, Queen Kossamak was culturally significant in newly independent Cambodia. Inspired by one of the most common icons of Cambodia, the apsaras or the celestial dancers on the bas-reliefs of Angkor temples, Queen Kossamak, who was the patron of the court dance, commissioned court dance masters to create a non-narrative dance piece entitled Apsara in the 1950s and trained her granddaughter, Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, to perform the role of Mera, the central figure of the dance. The Apsara dance shows the Apsara Mera, whose marriage to the Sage Kambu is the myth of the origin of the Khmers, leading her coterie of four or six dancers on an outing to a garden. With imagery evocative of Cambodia’s ancient glory, the Apsara dance has been performed since the 1960s in almost every important occasion, both at home and abroad, to remind the audience of the roots of Khmer civilization.  

 

The study of Queen Kossamak’s use of images of apsaras on ancient temple walls as portraits of the forebears of modern Cambodian earthly dancers may provide insight into the way Cambodians see themselves. Accordingly, this paper aims to trace the genesis of the Apsara dance and how it has been strongly associated with the foundation of Cambodian cultural and national identity.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Dao Thi Uyen

 

Faculty of History, Hanoi University of Education

 

 

In Vietnam’s history, women have always played an important role in nation building and protection. Their sacrifices have forged the glorious tradition and valuable dignity of Vietnamese people. In the past two thousand years, women have been a crucial force in the national economy, which is heavily dependent on agriculture, by maintaining food security for people, including those who had to go to the front against aggressors. Even women themselves, in many cases, had to stand up together with men to fight for freedom, as shown through numerous resistant wars, including those against the Chinese Han dynasty in the 1st century AD, Chinese Wu state authority in the 3rd century, Chinese Yuan dynasty in the 13th century, Chinese Ming dynasty in the 15th century, and the French and Americans in the 20th century. Since the country was officially unified in 1975, the role of women has been empowered more than ever. Many women have been appointed as leaders of top policymaking institutions, congresses, government agencies, and schools. The rate of women holding PhDs, Professor and Associate Professor titles is on the rise. Many individuals and groups of women have won national awards. Vietnamese women should have good reasons to be proud of all they have contributed to the nation for millennia.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Arpaporn Sumrit

 

Oxfam, Asia Regional Centre

 

 

The paper is a result of years of field study and practical experiences as a development practitioner working on Vietnam. The paper aims to examine the complex trajectories of gender discourse directed at and negotiated by Vietnamese women from the post war to transition period.

 

The paper argues that despite the scrutiny of the propagandic nature of its gender discourse, the State has succeeded in building a solid foundation for gender equality and for progress on women’s status. The discourse on women’s strengths and equal footing with men, accentuated during and after the war, has familiarized the society with a progressive mindset on the role and position of women. Indeed, the legacies of the Communist period, this paper asserts, have been conducive to women’s advancement.

 

Employing state feminism as a lens, it can be concurred that the institutionalisation of gender equality into its mechanism, namely the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) at all societal echelons, the national committee for the advancement of women (NCFAW), the incorporation of gender units in many of its ministries and the implementation of a law on gender equality, has paved the way for the concretization of a feminist State. Compared to its neighboring countries, the women of Vietnam, hand in hand with the State, have a much better ground to build on in striving, working toward and achieving gender equality.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Susanne Kerekes

 

Department of Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania

 

 

Regarded as the most widely worshipped deity of the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon, Kuan Yin has influenced the religious intersections throughout Asia, including Thailand, where devotion to her is increasingly on the rise, leading many scholars to label her following as cultic. Such labels aside, however, worship of this Bodhisattva of compassion might arouse, as one scholar suggests, liberation from women’s suffering, while also inspiring empowerment in a contemporary world that may challenge the roles and demands of the educated woman. Who is this popular goddess, Kuan Yin, and what about her appeals to the aspirations of women?

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Hang Chansophea

 

Independent Researcher

 

 

After the Paris Peace Agreement on 23 October 1991, Cambodian nuns and laywomen participated and facilitated in the Buddhist peace march lead by Moha Ghosananda. The purpose was to chant for the Buddha and world peace, lead Cambodians to peace, and an end to the civil war. Buddhist monks are leaders or offer advice on Buddhism, but Cambodian nuns and laywomen are the ones who organize events, do fundraising and promote people’s participation. Sometimes when discussing Buddhism in Cambodia reference is only made the role of Buddhist monks. But in practice, there are many Buddhism women who have done more work to help society, committing their life to follow the Buddha’s advice, especially to help vulnerable women to have a better life by performing fundraising activities for public buildings, such as community bridges, schools, wells and fundraising for Buddhist building such as vihears (Buddhist monastery) and other buildings.

 

In 1995, Queen Mother, Norodom Monineath Sihanouk organized the “Cambodian Nuns and Laywomen Association”, a non-profit, non-political organization to build the capacity of Cambodian women in social humanities and dharma, help reduce social stress for all Cambodians, build kindness, and support Buddhism for peace and a better society. After training, nuns and laywomen can became members in associations, and can become peer educators in their communities. The Center has three sites, the largest and the first in Oudong, the second in Siem Reap and the third in Battambong.

 

This study included an exploration of the interplay between religion, trauma and healing, and the working of gender in the realm of religion, and consisted of two questions:

 

1. What is the purpose of becoming a Buddhist woman in Cambodia?

 

2. What have Buddhist women done to participate in sustainable social development in Cambodia?

 

This study selected the nun center located in Siem Reap Province as a case study and focused on social humanities work that Buddhist women have performed in Cambodia for social movements.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

Thien-Huong T. Ninh

 

Williams College

 

 

This presentation examines popular devotion to Our Lady of the Mekong River predominantly among Khmer Buddhists and ethnic Vietnamese Catholics. At the pilgrimage center in Phnom Penh, on the opposite side of the Mekong River directly facing the Royal Palace and newly-built high-rises, Our Lady of the Mekong River is represented by two oxidized cast-iron gray statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These statues were dumped into the river by Khmer Rouge soldiers during the Pol Pot regime (1975-1978). One statue was lifted from the river in 2008, followed by the second one in 2012. In her grayish, oxidized form, Our Lady of the Mekong River blurs the stark division between white European-looking representations of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Catholicism and local goddesses in Cambodian popular devotion. She is not simply the mother of Jesus and his followers, but also a figure for anyone who seeks her blessings. I argue that it is precisely through this ethno-religious co-existence mediated through Our Lady of the Mekong River that Khmer Buddhists and ethnic Vietnamese Catholics are healing a long history of inter-group animosities. This co-existence challenges the Catholic Church's Khmerization program by asserting that the presence, rather than erasure, of ethnic Vietnamese is a key element to its return to Cambodia.

 

 

(Presented in the 2013 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals, 10-11 September 2013, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Indian Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University)

ADVISORS

Prof Dr Pirom Kamolratanakul
     President, Chulalongkorn University

Prof Dr Kua Wongboonsin 
     Vice President for Research and Innovation, 
     Chulalongkorn University

 
Asst Prof MR Kalaya Tingsabadh 
     Vice President for Academic Affairs,
     Chulalongkorn University

 
Asst Prof Dr Prapod Assavavirulhakarn
     Dean, Faculty of Arts, 
     Chulalongkorn University

Prof Dr Pranee Kullavanijaya
     Chair, Faculty Promotion Committee, 
     Chulalongkorn University

 

CHAIR

Assoc Prof Dr Suchitra Chongstitvatana
     Director, Institute of Thai Studies, 
     Chulalongkorn University
 

 

COMMITTEE

Assoc Prof Dr Sunait Chutintaranond
     Director, Institute of Asian Studies, 
     Chulalongkorn University
 

Assoc Prof Dr Suppakorn Disatapundhu
     Dean, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts,
     Chulalongkorn University

Asst. Prof. Surat Horachaikul, 
     Director, Indian Studies Center,
     Chulalongkorn University

Assoc Prof Dr Montira Rato
     Deputy Director of Academic Affairs
     Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University

Asst Prof Dr Arthit Thongtak
     Deputy Director of Administrative Affairs
     Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University

Asst Prof Ritirong Jiwakanon
     Deputy Director of International Affairs
     Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University

Dr Pram Sounsamut
     Deputy Director of Research Affairs
     Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University