Charnvit Kasetsiri is a Thai historian and former activist who studied in the US during the 1960s-1970s. He became disillusioned with the Thai government's support for the US war in Vietnam and resigned his civil service position to pursue a PhD in Southeast Asian history at Cornell University. There, he was exposed to new perspectives about Southeast Asia and Thailand's relations with its neighbors through his studies and involvement in student activism. He went on to have a long career teaching history at Thammasat University in Bangkok, where he continued to challenge official views and promote awareness of Southeast Asian studies in Thailand.

1. 10/10/2011 AjarnCharnvit AbriefstudyofaThaihistorian-activist byhisformerclassmate, ReynaldoIleto ThaihistorianCharnvitKasetsiri •Bornin1941ofaprovincial politicalfamily,groomedto becomeanambassador, wasrecruitedbytheThai ForeignMinistry •DidhisMAattheelite OccidentalCollegein California •Becamedisillusionedbythe Thaigovernment’ssupport fortheUSwarinVietnam •Resignedhiscivilservice positionin1967toenrollin thePhDinSoutheastAsian HistoryatCornell. Charnvitandhissupervisor, OliverWoltersatCornell,1968 (throughthehiddencameraof classmateReyIleto) 1

2. 10/10/2011 Education 1963B.A.Diplomacy(Honors),ThammasatUniversity, Bangkok 1967M.A.Diplomacy,OccidentalCollege,LosAngeles 1972Ph.D.inSoutheastAsianHistory,CornellUniversity (minorinPoliticsandGovernment) Employment 1973-2001Lecturer:HistoryDepartment,Thammasat University. 1981-83Head:HistoryDepartment,ThammasatUniversity 1982-85DeputyDirector:ThaiKhadiInstitute,Thammasat 1983-88ViceRector:ThammasatUniversity 1991-94Dean:FacultyofLiberalArts,Thammasat 1994-95Rector(President):ThammasatUniversity SomepublicationsinEnglish(mostareinThai) •TheRiseofAyudhya:AHistoryofSiamintheFourteenth andFifteenthCenturies,KualaLumpur:OxfordUP,1976. •ThaiPolitics:1932-1957,ThakChaleomtiarana,ed., (CharnvitKasetsiriandThinaphanNakhata,contributors), Bangkok:SocialSciencesAssociationofThailand,1978. •“ThaiHistoriographyfromAncientTimestotheModern Period,”inAnthonyReidandDavidMarr,eds.,Perceptions ofthePastinSoutheastAsia,1979 •Bibliography:SoutheastAsianStudiesinThailand,compiled withT.PetchlertananandS.Saiyawong,1991. •"Thai-Burmese-Lao-CambodianBorders:ASurveyReport," tr.byC.Tingsbadh,SoutheastAsianNetworkBulletin, December1992. •“Thailand-Cambodia:ALove-HateRelationship,”Kyoto ReviewofSoutheastAsia,No.3,March2003. •“WilltheMekongSurviveGlobalization”,KyotoReviewof SoutheastAsia,No.4,October2003. 2

3. 10/10/2011 •"Iconsidermyselfasa SoutheastAsianistandI connectedmyselfwith majoreventsinSoutheast Asia.” •Bornin1941,theyearof PearlHarbor.Hishome townisafewkilometers fromthecampwherethe Japanesecametobuild the“DeathRailroad”and bridgeontheRiverKwai. •Retiredin2001,sameyear astheWorldTradeCenter collapse.“Ihaveseenboth PearlHarborinHawaiiand GroundZeroinNYC.” Sharingexperiencesata workshopoftheNUS SoutheastAsianStudies Program,November2004 Familyandeducationalbackground •Camefromconservativebackground.Uppermiddle classfamily.Wenttoatopsecondaryschoolandto ThammasatUniversity,forhisBAinDiplomacy;gotthe highestmarkandwasawardedtheKing’sprize. •ThegreatgrandsonofthefamousmissionaryDrBradley (whofailedtoconvertmanyThais)cametoseehimin 1965togivehimaRockefellerscholarship(tryingto converthim?). •ThewarinIndochinamadeitsoeasyyinThailand,,beingg anally,togetascholarshiptoAmerica. •HeresignedfromtheForeignAffairsministrytogoto America,butwasstillinthecivilservice,intendingto returntobecomeambassadororsomething. 3

4. 10/10/2011 “TimeandSpace”contextofour experience •GraduatedfromThammasatin1963,workedinBangkok CityHallandMinistryofForeignAffairs.Thenhewas offeredascholarshiptoAmericaforfurtherstudies. •TheAmericanswerewagingwarinIndochina,pouringin aidandmoneytotheirallies,likeThailand.Soeasyto getascholarship.[Weweren’tnecessarilythebestand brightest.] •HewasacceptedfirstbytheUniversityofthePhilippines (UP).UPinthe1960swasoneofthetopinSoutheast Asia.ManyThammasatfacultymembersareUP graduates,mainlyinEconomics. •HehadaSEATO(SEATreatyOrganization)granttogo toUP,butjustbeforehelefttheRockefellergrantcame. •Nowstudentsarecomplainingit’ssodifficultforthemto gooverseas.Adifferentsituationitwasbackthen. Americansojourn,1965-73 •ArrivedinAmericainJuly1965,atthetimetheWatts [racial]riotsinLosAngelesweretakingplace,which shockedandconfusedhim. •Wenttoaveryconservativesmallcollege-Occidental college-arecruitinggroundforCIA;hadCIAfriends;his friends’fatherswereclosetotheKingofThailand. •ProfoundlyaffectedbytheescalatingwarinIndochina, Tonkinresolution.Ablackfriendtoldhimthewarwas mostbarbaric.TheBurmeseUThant,secretarygeneral oftheUNhadsaidthattoo. •WasintheUSfrom1965toearly1973(totalof7years) •Thosedaysifyouwereoverseasyoucan’tgohome often.Heonlywenthometwice.Thushewasembedded inAmericansocietyatthattime. 4

5. 10/10/2011 StudiesinAmericagavehimaclearerview ofSoutheastAsia,exposedlies •“WhatIfoundinAmericawasshocking.”Going toAmericaexposedthe“lies”theywerefed locallyinBangkok. •BeforeIarrivedinCaliforniahewenttherewitha beliefinthemythofapeacefulandintegrative [Thai]society.Foundoutbylate60sthat AmericanswerebombingVietnam“butwein Thailanddidn’tknow.” •Hecouldn’tbelieveatfirstthatThaiswere implicatedinbombingoftheirneighbors. “Studentactivismchangedmefromwantingtobe anambassador(studydiplomacy)tostudying SoutheastAsiabecauseofthewar. Cornellanti-warrally,1969 5

6. 10/10/2011 CornellYears-DiscoveringSoutheastAsia viaAmerica •“In1967IgraduatedMAinLosAngeles,wenttoCornell, theremetReyIleto,freshfromaconvent,theAteneo.” •ProbablywasthefirstThaitotakeIndonesianlanguage, aswellasBurmese.Becameinterestedinneighboring countries,cultures,languages,whileinAmerica. •“DiscoveredSoutheastAsiaviaAmerica” •SpentyearsatCornell.StudiedunderDGEHall,Wolters, Kahin,Wyatt,Anderson.Theywereourteachers,our mentors,andmanybecameourfriends. •KahinpreferredtobecalledGeorge.ButCharnvitcouldn’t say“George,”exceptwhenKahinwasadvisertoGeorge McGovern(GeorgespeakingtoGeorgewasconfusing) whoranforPresidentagainstNixon. •McGovernlost,andCharnvitandhisfriendswere “heartbroken.” “IwentwithReyto demonstrateinfrontof theWhiteHouse.He hadhiswhite headband,thisguy.” CharnvitinWashingtonDC,1970,withFilipino studentBelindaAquino 6

7. 10/10/2011 “Thingshappenedbyaccident…” •…IneverheardofCornellUniversity.Itwaschosenby somebodyelse.Iwasbeinggroomedforadiplomatic career.SwitchedfromdiplomacytoSoutheastAsian studies.Ididn’tknowwhatSEAStudieswas.Weall wantedAmericanstudiesorEuropeanstudies… •IdiscoveredSoutheastAsiainAmerica,theninJapan. •Americaneducationwasweakontheory.Ibought Toynbee,Ilookedatitforafewminutes,butcouldn’t readbeyondfirstfewpages. •OnlyE.H.Carr’s“WhatisHistory”captivatedhim. •Knowsnothingaboutdeconstructionism,etc.,but experiencesensitizedhimtotheconstructednature ofknowledge. SoutheastAsiawasmeaningfulinthecontextofthe1960’s warandstudentactivisminthe1970’s. “IgraduatedandthenIwenthome,andneverreturnedtothe MinistryofForeignAffairs.IstayedatThammasat,inthe middleofwhereeverythingwashappening,notfarfromthe governmenthouse… Threebigeventspeoplealwaysreferto,thathelivedthrough: 1.October1973studentuprising,whenthemilitary governmentcollapsed. 2.October6,1976,whenthemilitarycamebackforabrief periodupto1992.“BeinginThammasatyoucan’tescape it.”EversincehecamebackfromAmericahewasinvolved withstudents.Whenthe1976massacrehappenedhewas viceRector;hehadtorunawaytotheKyotoUniversity CenterforSoutheastAsianStudies. 3.May1992uprising,whenGeneralSuchindasteppeddown, leadingtodemocraticreforms. 7

8. 10/10/2011 Charnvit’sgenerationencountered SoutheastAsianstudiesfromtheoutside •“MyexperienceofSoutheastAsiaisfromAmerica,butalso fromJapan.ThepioneerYoneoIshii.BeingwithJapanese scholarsconnectedmewiththeToyotaFoundation,which promotedSoutheastAsianstudiesinSoutheastAsia. •HevisitedallthecountriesinSoutheastAsia,including EastTimor.TheToyotaFoundationencouragedcrossing boundaries,whiletheAmericanexperiencehadturned themintoone-countryscholars. •Intheearly1980shisgroupcametoSingaporeandthat’s howhebecameacquaintedwithSoutheastAsianStudies inSingapore. •MyexperienceofSoutheastAsianstudiesisviatheUSA andJapanandviamyexperiencewithstudentactivismin Thailandplusthekindofactivitiestopromoteawarenessof SoutheastAsiainThailand.[Endtrack] ThaischolarsandColonialDomination SoIdiscoveredSoutheastAsiabywayoftheUSAand Japanplusmyinvolvementwithwhat’shappeningin Thailandnow. •Iconsidermyselfandmostofthe[SoutheastAsia] programasanAmericanproductinsomefunnyway. •OnthequestionReyraisedwhetherinThailandweare uncomfortablewiththequestionofAnglo-American domination,thesituationinThailandmightbeabit different.WemightbeabituncomfortablewithEuropean dominationofThaistudies,forexample,Coedesandthe Frenchdominatingsomethemes. •Butabitdifferent…SomeofusareagainstCoedesor againstsomeotherfarang’s(foreigner’s)interpretationof SoutheastAsianstudiesinordertobecriticalofour establishment.Mainlyameansofbeingcriticalofthe Royalorofficialdominationofscholarship.Wegoagainst theWestinordertoattackBangkokdomination. 8

9. 10/10/2011 Woodside Steinberg DavidWyatt(left)–the Cornellhistorianwho Wyatt wroteRoyalty-centered history Whythelanguageofscholarshipmatters •“Idon’tknowwhetherIndonesiaandThailand mightbesimilar.Wewriteinourofficial languages.ThePhilippinesandSingaporeare morecomparable[i.e.scholarswriteinEnglish]. •WhenyoutalkaboutAnglo-Americanor Europeandominationofscholarshipin SoutheastAsia,thisisdeterminedby dependenceoncertainlanguages. •InmycasewhenIwriteandspeakinThaiIam notdominatedbyAnglo-AmericanorEuropean scholarship. 9

10. 10/10/2011 CharnvitisnotanotherMaungHtinAung •“ItakewhatisusefulfromDGEHall.Idisregardhis argumentswithMaungHtinAung. •IorganizedtranslationofCoedesbookandarticlesinto Thai.Selective.Hall’sHistoryistranslatedintoThai,third printing. •NotthesamesituationasinBurmawhenMaungHtin AungasvicechancellorofUniversityofRangoonhadto comeoutagainstDGEHall’sinterpretationoftheAnglo- Burmesewars. •AspresidentofThammasatIwouldn’tdreamofattacking HallorWolters. •Chanida’sMAthesisisagainstroyalhegemony.WhenI writeandspeakinThaiwearenotdominatedby Westernscholarship.ThesituationinThailandmaybe differentfromelsewhere. SoutheastAsiaawarenessinSEA •“OnwhetherSoutheastAsia[consciousness] existsinSoutheastAsia-maybe.Manyofour studentsareinterestedinBurma.Although retiredIstillhavealmost400studentsdoing SoutheastAsianstudies.Manyaretaking IndonesianandBurmeselanguages. •“SoutheastAsia”hasaweakexistencestillin Thailand.ThesameasintherestofSoutheast Asia.Wereliedonoldfriends[toestablishSE Studies],wemetinUSandJapan,etc.Wetried tocreateaSoutheastAsianunity.Butstillquite weak. •Nationallybound,nationally-concerned scholarshipisstillwithus. 10

11. 10/10/2011 Activistscholarship •“IwasinvolvedinstudentpoliticsatThammasat andgotkickedout.ReyIletowentbackandhad alltheadventuresatUP[Universityofthe Philippines]untilhegotout.TaufikAbdullahwas involvedinpolitics;hewasshelvedatonetime atLIPI. •“Insomewaysournations,includingThailand, areverynewandalotofthingsarevery unsettled.Wehavebecomeinvolvedinourown problems,locallyandnationally. [endtrack] Challengingofficialviewsofregionalties •Involvementinstudentmovementbychancewhenhe cameback.TheknowledgehehadcollectedinUSwas anattempttorejecttheofficialunderstandingofThai societyandThailand’srelationswithitsneighbors. •ThisknowledgechangedthewayoflookingatThai societyandThailand’sneighbors.Challengedtheidea thatbeingnevercolonizedtheyaredifferent.[influence ofBenAnderson]Wearedifferent,weareunique,but wehavealotofthingsincommonwiththeFilipino,the Singaporean,theBurmese,etc.BlacklistedbyBurmese government. •Togiveanalternative,unofficialversionofThaihistoryof SoutheastAsia.[hedidn’tgetthisfromWyatt] •BurningofThaiembassyinPhnomPenh(in2003)led himtowriteinThaiexplainingthecomplexhistoryof mutualattitudesbetweenThaiandKhmer. 11

12. 10/10/2011 “InterdisciplinaryAreaStudies,theysay,is likechopsuey… •Youputinthisandthatbutyouhavenodiscipline.Inaway, Yes,but…No. •BenedictAndersoncameupwiththeorybecauseofhisarea studyexperience.Heisoneofthefewwhocancrossthe boundaries.MovementfromIndonesiatoThailandandto Philippines–duetohisexperience,hecameupwiththe bookImaginedCommunities. •BenisfluentinFilipinonow.HelecturesinThaiinThailand. Hehascrossedtheboundaries.OurgoodprofessorWolters also,becauseofhisChineselanguage,enabledhimto crossfromVietnamtoAyuthayatoAngkor.Languageis important. •ThebooksofHobsbawmandAndersonaremuchin demandfortranslation. “Thingshappenedbyaccident…” •…IneverheardofCornellUniversity.Itwaschosenby somebodyelse.Iwasbeinggroomedforadiplomatic career.SwitchedfromdiplomacytoSoutheastAsian studies.Ididn’tknowwhatSEAStudieswas.Weall wantedAmericanstudiesorEuropeanstudies… •IdiscoveredSoutheastAsiainAmerica,theninJapan. •Americaneducationwasweakontheory.Ibought Toynbee,Ilookedatitforafewminutes,butcouldn’t readbeyondfirstfewpages. •OnlyE.H.Carr’s“WhatisHistory”captivatedhim. •Knowsnothingaboutdeconstructionism,etc.,but experiencesensitizedhimtotheconstructednature ofknowledge. 12

13. 10/10/2011 Onmergingtheorywithexperience. •Localeventsinformedhisthinking.Thetimeand theperiodmatter–Charnvitlivedthroughthe 1973studentmovementand1976coup. •Weofourgenerationwhowentoverseas,we encounteredthespecterofcomparison. •RizalandChulalongkornbelongedtosame generation.WhynotputRizal’spictureonthe coveroftheThaitranslationofNolimeTangere? •Wearetooconcernedwithourownnational problems.AsWolterssaidtoTaufik:thisisa timetounderstandSoutheastAsia.To understandSoutheastAsiaistounderstand ourselvesaswell. Rector(President)ofThammasat,1994-5 Alldressedupto meettheKingon Commencement Day,27July1994 13

14. 10/10/2011 Thehistorian-civil servantwithformer classmateRey Ileto,July1994 TheRectorandastudentinfrontofRama V’sportrait 14

15. 10/10/2011 Charnvit(middle) withManuel Sarkisyanzonavisit tothePhilippines, December1985 Charnvit,Sarkisyanz,etc.,atRizal’sancestralhouse 15

16. 10/10/2011 OtherThaihistorians ThongchaiWinichakuland ThanetAphongsuwanin RectorCharnvit’soffice(1994) ChatthipNartsuphain hisstudy(2005) Longretiredbutstillbusyaseverathis officeinThammasat,April2007 16