Manuscript Cultures and Epigraphy of the Tai World

Scholarly interest in manuscripts and epigraphical material in Thailand, Laos, and adjacent Tai-speaking areas has expanded to include their material aspects, such as palm-leaf, paper, cloth, bamboo, and other organic materials, and inscriptions on stone, metal, and wood. Volker Grabowsky's book explores the production, use, and transmission of manuscripts as containers of traditional knowledge and as objects used in daily life, rituals, and ceremonies, with particular emphasis on the relationship between manuscripts and inscriptions.

Format: Hardback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2022
Publisher: Silkworm Books / Trasvin Publications LP

Over the past four decades, a remarkable collection of manuscripts and epigraphical materials has been surveyed, documented, and digitized in Thailand, Laos, and adjacent Tai-speaking regions. Scholarly interest in this material has gone beyond philological and historical studies of the texts found in manuscripts and inscriptions to encompass its material aspects, which include manuscripts written on palm leaves, various forms of paper, cloth, bamboo, and other organic materials, as well as inscriptions on stone, metal, and wood. In his book Manuscript Cultures and Epigraphy of the Tai World, Volker Grabowsky aims to explore the production, use, and transmission of manuscripts as both containers of traditional knowledge and as objects used in daily life, rituals, and ceremonies. A significant emphasis is placed on the relationship between manuscripts and inscriptions, as both have exerted considerable influence on each other. By providing a comprehensive examination of the chronological and synchronic development of Tai-language literatures, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the social significance of these literary productions.

Dimension: 210 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9786162151729