Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Michael Falser - Angkor Wat - A Transcultural History of Heritage - V. 1
Michael Falser - Angkor Wat - A Transcultural History of Heritage - V. 1
MICHAEL FALSER
ANGKOR WAT
This book unravels the formation of the modern concept of cultural heritage by
ANGKOR WAT
MICHAEL FALSER
charting its colonial, postcolonial-nationalist and global trajectories. By bringing
to light many unresearched dimensions of the twelfth-century Cambodian temple of
Angkor Wat during its modern history, the study argues for a conceptual, connected
history that unfolded within the transcultural interstices of European and Asian projects.
A T R A N S C U LTU R A L H I STO RY O F H E R I TAGE
With more than 1,400 black-and-white and colour illustrations of historic photographs,
architectural plans and samples of public media, the monograph discusses the multiple
lives of Angkor Wat over a 150-year-long period from the 1860s to the 2010s.
VOLUME 1: ANGKOR IN FRANCE
www.degruyter.com
ISBN 978-3-11-033572-9
M I C H A E L FA L S E R
ANGKOR WAT
A TR A NSCULTUR A L HIS TORY OF HE RITAGE
VOLUME 1:
A NGKOR IN FR A NCE .
FROM PL A S TE R C A S T S TO E X HIBITION PAV ILIONS
DE GRUYTER
This publication was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
within the Cluster of Excellence 270/1 “Asia and Europe in a Global Context” at Heidelberg University/Germany.
This publication was printed with support by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, Düsseldorf/Germany.
ISBN 978-3-11-033572-9
e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-033584-2
www.degruyter.com
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements XI
Introduction 1
1. Angkor Wat: A transcultural history of heritage 1
1.1. Angkor Wat in Paris: A French lieu de mémoire? 1
1.2. The Heidelberg Cluster of Excellence
Asia and Europe in a Global Context and the
project Heritage as a Transcultural Concept 4
2. The temple of Angkor Wat and its affordance qualities
and actionable capacities 9
2.1. Angkor Wat, approaching its
architectural configuration 9
2.2. Angkor Wat’s affordance qualities
and actionable capacities: A
rchitectural,
performative, patrimonial 18
3. Preliminary reflections to Volume 1:
Angkor Wat in France — From Plaster Casts to Exhibition Pavilions 30
3.1. From exotic fantasies in garden
landscapes to ‘spectacular’ p avilions
in universal and colonial exhibitions 30
3.2. The rediscovery and re-evaluation
of plaster casts 35
3.3. Translational turns, colonial politics of
translation, and the technique of plaster casts 38
3.4. From translation to architectural transfer
and transcultural heritage 41
4. Preliminary reflections to Volume 2:
Angkor Wat in Cambodia — From Jungle Find to Global Icon 43
4.1. From back-translation to third space 43
4.2. A ‘heterotopia’ called Angkor Park:
An ‘enacted utopia’ of cultural heritage? 46
4.3. From world heritage back to world’s fair:
Angkor Park as a theme park? 53
V
Table of Contents
I. Lost in Translation? The Mekong Mission of 1866 and the Plaster Casts from Angkor
at the Parisian Universal Exhibition of 1867 57
VI
Table of Contents
VII
Table of Contents
Epilogue to Volume 1
Back to Asia: From Bangkok 1860 to Bihar 2020 407
VIII
2
MICHAEL FALSER
ANGKOR WAT
This book unravels the formation of the modern concept of cultural heritage by
ANGKOR WAT
MICHAEL FALSER
charting its colonial, postcolonial-nationalist and global trajectories. By bringing
to light many unresearched dimensions of the twelfth-century Cambodian temple of
Angkor Wat during its modern history, the study argues for a conceptual, connected
history that unfolded within the transcultural interstices of European and Asian projects.
A T R A N S C U LTU R A L H I STO RY O F H E R I TAGE
With more than 1,400 black-and-white and colour illustrations of historic photographs,
architectural plans and samples of public media, the monograph discusses the multiple
lives of Angkor Wat over a 150-year-long period from the 1860s to the 2010s. VOLUME 2: ANGKOR IN CAMBODIA
Volume 2 (Angkor in Cambodia) covers, for the first time in this depth, the various
on-site restoration efforts inside the ‘Archaeological Park of Angkor’ from 1907 until
1970, and the temple’s gradual canonisation as a symbol of national identity during
Cambodia’s troublesome decolonisation (1953–89), from independence to Khmer
Rouge terror and Vietnamese occupation, and, finally, as a global icon of UNESCO
World Heritage since 1992 until today.
www.degruyter.com
ISBN 978-3-11-033572-9
M I C H A E L FA L S E R
ANGKOR WAT
A TR A NSCULTUR A L HIS TORY OF HE RITAGE
VOLUME 2:
A NGKOR IN C AMBODIA .
FROM J U NGLE FIND TO GLOBA L ICON
DE GRUYTER
This publication was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)
within the Cluster of Excellence 270/1 “Asia and Europe in a Global Context” at Heidelberg University/Germany.
This publication was printed with support by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, Düsseldorf/Germany.
ISBN 978-3-11-033572-9
e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-033584-2
www.degruyter.com
Table of Contents
V
Table of Contents
VI
Table of Contents
XII. Angkor as UNESCO World Heritage: The Decisive Years 1987—1993 323
Introduction 323
1. 1987—1988: UNESCO’s campaign strategies, the blocked entry to Angkor
and the return of the substitute called “plaster cast” 328
2. 1989: Appeals for Angkor and UNESCO’s first action 331
3. 1990: The international rush to Save Angkor gains momentum 336
4. 1991: Making Angkor global. Vann Molyvann 340
5. 1992: Pushing Angkor onto the World Heritage List:
UNESCO’s politics with ‘danger’ 353
6. 1993: Archaeological Park of Angkor — Institutionally globalised 370
Epilogue to Volume 2
Angkor post-1992: From World Heritage to World’s (Af-)Fair and Theme Park 405
Bibliography 577
VII
Michael Falser
ANGKOR WAT – A
TRANSCULTURAL HISTORY
OF HERITAGE
Volume 1: Angkor in France. From Plaster Casts to Exhibition
Pavilions. Volume 2: Angkor in Cambodia. From Jungle Find to
Global Icon
This book unravels the formation of the modern concept of cultural heritage by xix, 1150 pages
charting its colonial, postcolonial-nationalist and global trajectories. By bringing Hardcover:
to light many unresearched dimensions of the twelfth-century Cambodian RRP *€ [D] 172.95 / *US$ 198.99 /
*GBP 157.00
temple of Angkor Wat during its modern history, the study argues for a ISBN 978-3-11-033572-9
conceptual, connected history that unfolded within the transcultural interstices of eBook:
European and Asian projects. With more than 1,400 black-and-white and colour RRP *€ [D] 172.95 / *US$ 198.99 /
illustrations of historic photographs, architectural plans and samples of public *GBP 157.00
PDF ISBN 978-3-11-033584-2
media, the monograph discusses the multiple lives of Angkor Wat over a 150-
Date of Publication: December 2019
year-long period from the 1860s to the 2010s.
Language of Publication: English
Volume 1 (Angkor in France) reconceptualises the Orientalist, French-colonial Subjects:
Architecture and Design, other
‘discovery’ of the temple in the nineteenth century and brings to light the Arts, general
manifold strategies at play in its physical representations as plaster cast Topics in History Cultural History
substitutes in museums and as hybrid pavilions in universal and colonial
exhibitions in Marseille and Paris from 1867 to 1937.
Volume 2 (Angkor in Cambodia) covers, for the first time in this depth, the
various on-site restoration efforts inside the ‘Archaeological Park of Angkor’
from 1907 until 1970, and the temple’s gradual canonisation as a symbol of
national identity during Cambodia’s troublesome decolonisation (1953–89),
from independence to Khmer Rouge terror and Vietnamese occupation, and,
finally, as a global icon of UNESCO World Heritage since 1992 until today.
*Prices in US$ apply to orders placed in the Americas only. Prices in GBP apply to orders placed in Great Britain only. Prices in € represent
the retail prices valid in Germany (unless otherwise indicated). Prices are subject to change without notice. Prices do not include postage
and handling if applicable. Free shipping for non-business customers when ordering books at De Gruyter Online. RRP: Recommended Retail
Price. Order now! orders@degruyter.com
degruyter.com