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Vientiane: Transformations of a Lao Landscape

2008; Volume: 25; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1355/ae25-3h

0217-4472

Pavin Chachavalpongpun,

Cambodian History and Society

Vientiane: Transformations of a Lao Landscape. By Mark Askew, William S. Logan and Colin Long. London: Routledge, 2007. Pp. 265. Askew, Logan and Long have undertaken one of most important works on Lao history in many decades. This book is an attempt to look at Laos through a new perspective, rise and fall of city, Vientiane, its historical past, while explaining it through discourse of urbanism and within a context of changing political landscapes. The authors admitted that Laos, as a nation, has frequently been unjustly perceived as a marginal political and cultural entity in eyes of its neighbours and even among its own populace. The core argument of this book counters such a traditional view on Laos, with a special focus on its capital Vientiane, by presenting historical evidence unveiling city's glorious past, its political significance and Laos's sustained culture which has provided a basis for current regime to claim its legitimacy for what it has called the defence of a national identity. Delving into theme urbanism, authors argued that lack of population density and wider economic functions should not discount Vientiane as being a vibrant meuang among many in Southeast Asia (p. 6). One needs to pay a great attention to spatial, temporal and social ordering of Vientiane, how it has been influenced by external forces, including today's globalization, and how it has influenced them in turn. Therefore, Vientiane must not only be considered as a historical urban settlement, but also a political, social and cultural landscape on which a community was built for living and power play. The authors traced subject from its first existential beginning, describing conditions of city before and after it was turned into capital of Lan Xang Kingdom. As subtitle suggests, analysis was concentrated on capturing transformation of Vientiane from a dense forest into an opulent city that housed many temples and palaces. The significance of Vientiane was not limited within city wall, but transcended beyond Middle Mekong region where Lao and their principalities were acknowledged as a major presence for centuries (p. 20). The transformation from centre of wealth and power into a city under rubble took place when Siamese troops totally ransacked Vientiane, one of Siam's vessel states, in 1828 for fear of its disloyalty. The advent of French colonialism, American occupation during Cold War and emergence of a communist regime in Laos deeply affected destiny of Vientiane as capital of nation. The vulnerability of Vientiane has consistently been exploited by present-day leaders to spark Lao nationalism, to reject foreign influences, and ultimately to renew their legitimacy to govern. What are main takeaways of this book? First, although it has been widely accepted that cities need to be studied separately from country because they possess their own social and political orders, it would be a mistake to totally de-link Vientiane with evolution of Laos as a nation. This is because Vientiane has always been a site of co-presence of multiple spaces, times and webs of relations, tying local sites, subjects and fragments into national networks of political, social and cultural change. Vientiane is therefore face of Laos and destiny of nation. Vientiane's history has also lent itself as a part of reconstruction of Lao-ness imbued in its pride as a long-established political entity, magnificent cultural heritage and all distinctive qualities that might separate Laos from others. Second, traditional portrayal of Vientiane as a splendid, yet fragile and marginal, capital serves a political purpose. …