Presented By: Asian Languages and Cultures
Bitexts in Glocal Perspective: Towards an Intellectual History of Buddhist Translation in Early Modern Southeast Asia
Asian Languages and Cultures Colloquium
Between the late fifteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Southeast Asian intellectuals produced an enormous quantity of bilingual compositions, or bitexts, that combine passages in Sanskrit or Pali with glosses into a local vernacular, be it Burmese, Khmer, Lao, Thai, or a host of lesser-known languages. Drawing on examples from throughout the region, this talk shows how the influence of these bitexts extended well beyond the Buddhist sphere, shaping the study of grammar, literature, and the sciences across early modern Southeast Asia. Bitexts not only facilitated the study of South Asian thought, but built a platform for Southeast Asians to compose in a fresh, cosmopolitan idiom that afforded the circulation of ideas across a diverse set of vernacular tongues. Taking a glocal perspective—at the intersection of local and global forces—on these modes of reading, writing, and performance allows us to appreciate how Southeast Asian intellectuals made a distinct and enduring contribution to the history of translation.
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