Abstract:
Systems of slavery and captivity differed widely across cultures and time, and the comparative study of slavery can reveal surprising histories of cultural transformation and exchange. Unlike American slavery, in many parts of the world systems of slavery were more “open”, containing means by which slaves could be incorporated into the society of their captors. In these more “open” systems, slavery was an important conduit for the exchange of culture between two societies. Southeast Asia was one such region. My talk will explore the ways that foreign war captives taken to upper Burma from Thailand and Manipur in the 18th-19th c. introduced new artistic, theatrical, and religious traditions to that kingdom.
Short bio:
Bryce Beemer has a PhD in Southeast Asian History from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa where he also studied World History and comparative slavery. He is currently an SSRC Transregional Research Fellow for InterAsian Contexts and Connections. Professor Beemer held previous positions as the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Comparative World History at Colby College, and as a Research Professor at Sogang University where he edited TRaNS, a journal devoted to transnational research on the Southeast Asia region.
His research is on the transcultural ramifications of slave gathering warfare in mainland Southeast Asia and Northeast India with a special focus on enslaved artisans, religious rituals, and processes of creolization and cultural exchange. The Fulbright-Hays (DDRA) and a Watumull Foundation grant for research in South Asia funded his research which was conducted in three countries—Thailand, Burma, and Manipur (India)—over a two-year period. His Ph.D. was awarded the 2014 Best Dissertation Prize by the World History Association (WHA). His publication “Southeast Asian Slavery and Slave-Gathering Warfare as a Vector for Cultural Transmission: The Case of Burma and Thailand” received several academic awards for its innovative research methods.
Please click here for youtube video of the seminar.
