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Book Discussion & Book Signing: Tai Herbalism With Author Susan Conway
September 19 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
On 19 September 2024 from 5.30 pm – 7.00, SEA Junction has the opportunity to welcome cultural expert Susan Conway, to discuss her recently published book “Tai Herbalism”. The book, published by Silkworm Books, is based on a translation of an early nineteenth-century manuscript written in an old Shan script in danger of extinction. At most, only a handful of older adults in Burma can read it. The author achieved a translation with the help of monks and lay people living in remote villages and monasteries. It reads like a detective novel.
Highlighting and publishing a translation of an endangered script is not the only reason this book is of value. It provides a fascinating insight into how diseases of the mind and body were treated in early nineteenth-century Burma. Shan herbal remedies were part of the treatment. Chants, spells, and rituals, part of a Shan magic-religious belief system, were administered at the same time. Before treatment, patients were assessed according to astrological and cosmological philosophy.
The book reveals the flora and fauna present in nineteenth-century Shan forests. It was a rich and diverse environment. A medicinal index is provided, listing plants and animal parts used to make medicines. Since the time the manuscript was written, forests have been destroyed, and animals and plants are now extinct or in danger of extinction. The book provides a record of what was living in the woods nearly two hundred years ago in the hope that conservationists may one day be able to restore it to its former beauty.
At the event, moderated by our director Rosalia Sciortino, the author will present the key points of the book before answering questions from the public. A limited number of copies will also be available for those interested and the author will sign on request.
Speaker/Author
Susan Conway is currently a Research Associate at the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University, UK and Visiting Professor, Shan State Buddhist University, Shan State. She was previously teaching Shan studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London and Southeast Asian Studies at The New School, New York. Her books and papers cover the culture, arts and crafts, and especially textiles, of South-east Asia, specialising on Thailand and the Shan States of Burma (Myanmar). Susan studied fine art as an undergraduate, and her Ph.D. was a study of the history and culture of Lanna (northern Thailand). More recently, she became fascinated with healing practices and the magic-religious power of chants, spells, and rituals. She is an artist whose work is based on Thailand’s landscapes and murals paintings.
For more information/reservation, please contact us at info@seajunction.org or message us in any social media channel. Events are free, but donations are very welcome!
Organizer
SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions- from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 407-8 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information see www.seajunction.org, join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1693058870976440/ and follow us on twitter and Instagram @seajunction
