คำกล่าวไว้อาลัย Grant Evans จาก อ.ชาร์ลส์ เอฟ คายส์ It is very sad for me to learn of Grant’s passing. When I received the news, it happened that Jane and I were being visited by an Ajarn from Chiang Mai University who was most disturbed by the news because having seen Grant in April at the Thai Studies Conference in Sydney she could not believe that he should suddenly die. I first began contact with Grant after I reviewed his book, Lao Peasants under Socialism (Journal of Asian Studies, 50.2: 453-55, 1991). In that review, I began by saying that This is an important book for two reasons. First, Evanss study of Laos -- a country that has received little scholarly attention -- speaks to contemporary theoretical questions regarding resistance to state authority and moral vs. rational economies. Second, the book offers a compelling critique, through a detailed analysis of the failure of the cooperativization program of Laos, of the assumptions underlying communist agrarian policies.” I went on, however, to say that Evans dismisses the popular Buddhism of the Lao peasants as a source of resistance to cooperativization.” This criticism led to a prolonged exchange between Grant and me and subsequently to an enduring friendship and intellectual comradeship. Although I cannot claim responsibility, in much of his subsequent scholarship, Grant focused on Lao religion and culture. As the title of the revised version of his first book -- Lao Peasants under Socialism and Post-Socialism – indicates, he himself had moved into a post-socialist phase of his life and scholarship. He was one of the few scholars to carry out research on the Black Tai (Tai Dam) of Laos. He became best known for his work on the Lao monarchy. In his later years he was as much an historian as an anthropologist and the last work of his I read was his “The Ai-Lao and Nan-Chao/Tali Kingdom” in the Journal of the Siam Society (2014). I will truly miss our exchanges and I know that the field of Lao studies, as well as Southeast Asian studies more generally, has lost a very reflective and intellectually curious scholar. I truly wish I could join in the celebration of his life at his funeral in Vientiane. Charles Biff Keyes Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and International Studies University of Washington
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 01:17:31 +0000
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