Société Européenne pour l'Etude des Civilisations de l'Himalaya et de l'Asie Centrale
Suspension of activities - first semester 2020
Due to the disruption of our lecture series since late 2019 and the resulting cancellation of most of the scheduled events, we have been able to hold only two talks this year. In the absence of effective measures to protect our speakers and audiences, we began to implement these cuts even before the official declaration of confinement was made on 16 March. For the same reasons, the meeting of the Board of Directors and the Annual General Meeting have also been postponed until further notice.
All our activities will be suspended until the beginning of the new academic year, when, as far as it is possible to tell at the moment, we should be able to resume our programme of events according to official guidelines. The programme for 2020-2021, which is currently being prepared, will of course include lectures that have been casualties of the pandemic this year. We very much look forward to seeing you all again in our auditorium, where our team will happy to welcome existing members as well as anyone who is interested in the topics of our talks. We extend our warmest greetings to you with the now-consecrated formula – “Take good care of yourselves and your loved ones.”
07/05/2020 10:08
The ancestors of the underground world: myths and beliefs among the Chepang of Nepal
Chepang © Adrien Viel
Chepang © Adrien Viel
by Adrien Viel, Author-director of documentary films, PhD student at the University of Lille.
A multitude of ethnic groups in Nepal have preserved indigenous religions which have been differently penetrated by the Hindu religion, as by Tibetan Buddhism, and which have preserved their own characteristics. This seems to be the case for Chepang. From audiovisual and photographic documents recorded between 2010 and 2018, we will focus on the social and cultural aspects of this Chepang ethnic group, through its shaman, the only religious specialist in the community, in his relationship to the rites of life and rituals of death. They will be examined in a more global Nepali shamanic context, and will also be studied in relation to the contemporary transformations inherent to the evolution of all these minority societies.
LECTURE at 6PM
in the Grand Salon de la Maison de l’Asie, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 PARIS
31/01/2020 23:14
Relocating Art in the Physical World: Tibetan Paintings and Material Objects
Relocating Art in the Physical World. Tibetan Paintings, Material Objects, and Their Religious and Political Implications
by Olaf Czaja (EPHE – PSL).
There are a number of academic studies dealing with some aspects of the materiality of artistic expression, especially textiles and fabrics depicted on Tibetan paintings and statues but they are mainly concerned with early examples found at Dunhuang, Alchi and other locations. However, in later periods the relation between artistic depictions and their material reality was still of major importance for Tibetan art, being an essential part of its artistry and its socio-religious meaning. In this talk, I will mainly present paintings showing high Tibetan religious dignitaries and discuss the mode of accenting their socio-religious status by means of sitting mats and seat cushions, covers for throne’s backrests, monastic garments and utensils and so on. In particular, I will examine the famous depictions of the 6th Panchen Lama Lobsang Pelden Yeshe (1738–1780) and the 3rd Changkya Rölpé Dorjé (1717–1786) showing them in Qing court dress. Moreover, I will discuss the ceremonial robe worn by ordained Tibetan monks on special occasions, a feature shared by other Buddhist cultures in Asia, and their artistic expression on Tibetan paintings. In sum, the talk intends to encourage to study visual and material cultures together in order to understand the various semantic levels in Tibetan art.
LECTURE at 6pm
in the Grand Salon of la Maison de l’Asie, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 PARIS
26/12/2019 20:23
Program of Lectures for the First Semester of 2020
The lectures will take place at 6 P.M. at Maison de l’Asie
22 avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 PARISRelocating Art in the Physical World. Tibetan Paintings, Material Objects, and Their Religious and Political Implications
by Olaf Czaja (École Pratique des Hautes Études – PSL)."For the well-being of men and the flourishing of the doctrine", the art of Buchen from the Valley of Clouds in Spiti, Western Himalayas
by Pascale Dollfus, Center for Himalayan Studies, CNRS. UPR 299.The Ancestors of the Underground World: Myths and Beliefs among the Chepang of Nepal
by Adrien Viel (Author-director of documentary films, PhD student at the University of Lille).Bandiyān (Northern Khorāsān, Iran): A Sasanian Architectural Complex at the Gates of Central Asia
by Samra Azarnouche (École Pratique des Hautes Études, Religious Studies Section - PSL; FRE 2018 Worlds Iran and India).We regret to announce the cancellation of this lecture.
Ba-Shu Signs, an Ancient Writing in the Sichuan Basin
by Olivier Venture (Director of studies, École Pratique des Hautes Études (4th section). CRCAO / UMR8155).We regret to announce the cancellation of this lecture.
From India to Tibet, sustainability and transformations of a medico-ritual technique of regeneration / immortality, rasâyana
by Fernand Meyer (Director of studies emeritus, École Pratique des Hautes Études).We regret to announce the cancellation of this lecture.
A Blessing of the Land: The Architecture, Art and History of a Buddhist Convent in Mustang, Nepal.
Presentation of the book by Charles Ramble.We regret to announce the cancellation of this lecture.
Program subject to modification
08/12/2019 16:48
Art of Buchen from the Valley of Clouds in Spiti, Western Himalayas
Buchen. © Pascal Dollfus
Buchen. © Pascal Dollfus
"For the well-being of men and the flourishing of the doctrine", the art of Buchen from the Valley of Clouds in Spiti, Western Himalayas.
by Pascale Dollfus, Center for Himalayan Studies, CNRS. UPR 299.
In the Valley of the Clouds at Spiti, men who call themselves the disciples (Tib, bu-chen, lit. "great sons") of the Tibetan yogi Thangtong Gyalpo (1361-1485) still perpetuate the art of their master, an atypical religious to whom tradition attributes the invention of suspended iron bridges but also that of the theater. Handling paradoxes, excesses and laughter, they provide a deep but accessible education to all, going from village to village to tell edifying stories. Whether readings, recitations accompanied by painting, or skits belonging more to pantomime than theater, the depictions of the buchen generally conclude with a ritual of spectacular exorcism specific to them, during which the principal officiant breaks with a round and dense stone a long block of schist, placed on the abdomen of a sidekick lying on his back, in order to kill the demon who is locked up there.
LECTURE at 6pm
in the Grand Salon of la Maison de l’Asie, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 PARIS
02/12/2019 13:44
The reconstruction of monuments and communities in Nepal after the earthquake of 2015
Workshop The reconstruction of monuments and communities in Nepal after the earthquake of 2015.
With the participation of David Andolfatto, Denis Blamont, Michael Hutt, Blandine Ripert and Brigitte Steinmann.
On 25 April 2015 a massive earthquake struck Nepal, resulting in the loss of almost 9,000 lives as well as catastrophic destruction to homes, temples and other national monuments of inestimable historical and cultural value. The national and international response has been highly varied, both with regard to the measures adopted and the successes achieved. In this workshop, five internationally known scholars of Nepal will talk about their own experiences in engaging with the challenges of reconstructing the country’s buildings and communities. These will include an overview of the different responses to conservation and reconstruction in the Kathmandu Valley (David Andolfatto); a discussion of the measures taken to restore infrastructure and to develop social services in the communities (Denis Blamont, Blandine Ripert and Brigitte Steinmann); and a presentation of the Nepali-language poetry that has emerged in the four years that have elapsed since the earthquake struck (Michael Hutt).
Workshop at 2:30 PM
in the Grand Salon de la Maison de l’Asie, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 PARIS
04/11/2019 23:56
Archeology of predynastic Nepal: from proto-history to the Kingdom of Lo (15th c.)
par Marion Poux, PhD student HTD, EPHE.
The district of Mustang (Nepal), also known as the Kingdom of Lo, now includes an area of 3565 m2 which is organized around the valley of Kali Gandaki, rare Himalayan river to flow from North to south. If the written history of the region begins in the eighth century with a mention in the Dunhang texts, the study of archaeological data shows us that the valley has a much older history.
In this paper we shall present the archaeological elements preliminary to the understanding of the history of Mustang. We shall begin by examining the possible presence of a funerary tradition in the south of the valley from the first millennium BC. We shall continue with a brief presentation of the work carried out by the Nepal German Project on High Mountain Archeology in the 90s which will allow us to establish some chronological and cultural bases for the second half of the 1st millennium BC.
Finally, we shall discuss a more recent history, from the 10th century to the 14th century, a period marked by significant architectural development and a more visible religious presence culminating in the establishment of the Lo dynasty in the early 15th century.
LECTURE at 6pm
in the Grand Salon of la Maison de l’Asie, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, 75016 PARIS
01/10/2019 12:55
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