Indochina, 'Greater France' and the 1931 Colonial Exhibition in Paris
Angkor Wat in Blue, White and Red
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4493345 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marco R Deyasi (University of Idaho, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 123-141 |
| Publication date | 2015-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History Workshop Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1363-3554 • E-ISSN: 1477-4569 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/hwj/dbv035 |
| OpenAlex | W2114112122 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 12 |
The 1931 Colonial Exposition in Paris was the peak of the French government’s propaganda efforts: a consistent presentation of the mission civilisatrice. The Angkor Wat pavilion epitomized this message by combining a reconstruction of portions of the ancient Khmer temple of Angkor Wat with showcases for colonial educational reforms. It was also the culmination of efforts to redefine French identity for an imperial age, a redefinition that not only absorbed the colonized other but was transformed by it. This paper traces the development of this colonial interpretation of Cambodia through the ideas of George Groslier, founder of the the Ecole des Beaux-Arts du Cambodge. His ideas helped to ensure that Angkor Wat was transormed ito an over-determined signifier of France’s colonial mission, ultimately becoming a symbol of France itself. On the outside the Angkor Wat pavilion was a stunningly detailed replica made possible by the disciplinry complex of social sciences studying colonized cultures. Simultaneously, the inside demonstrated the use of this knowledge to reconstitute Khmer culture and to make it the basis for a revitalized Cambodian culture. In the visual presentation of ‘Indochina’ at the exposition, thanks to Groslier’s efforts, not only did Cambodia become French but France also became Cambodian.
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Colonialism · Exhibition · Exposition (narrative) · Literature · Pavilion · Presentation (obstetrics) · Symbol (formal) · White (mutation) · Historical Geopolitical and Social Dynamics · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Philosophy · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
Hybrid Modernities
Civilization without Sexes
Cambodge
Tensions of Empire
Affective Communities
Narratives of Empire
The Truth about The Colonies, 1931
The "Classical" in Southeast Asia
Phantasmatic Indochina. French Colonial Ideology in Architecture, Film, and Literature
French Anthropology and the Durkheimians in Colonial Indochina
From Buddhist Icons to National Antiquities
Leftward Journey
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.29 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2021 (3) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |