Journey with fifteen scholars to Southeast Asia and neighbouring countries to discover the hidden meanings behind traditional textiles. Throughout Asia, textiles have played an important role in concepts of power and kingship and are also closely associated with shamanistic, Buddhist and Islamic beliefs. The papers presented in this work represent knowledge and research of leading scholars from around the world who participated in The James H W Thompson Foundation symposium in August, 2005. Diana K Myers compares Bhutanese and Southeast Asian textiles, Gillian Green covers Cambodian hangings, John Guy, Roy Hamilton and Robyn Maxwell discuss different aspects of Indonesian textiles, while Susan Conway investigates Shamanistic practices among the Shan. Barbara and David Fraser, Vibha Joshi and Piriya Krairiksh research the textiles of three other minority groups in Myanmar, while Patricia Cheesman and Linda McIntosh take us on a journey to Laos. For Thailand, Leedom Lefferts and Suriya Smutkupt look at links between Buddhism and textiles, while Thirabhand Chandrachareon discusses royal Thai brocades. Finally, Michael Howard shows how the Tai peoples of Vietnam use textiles to denote status and religion. 300 colour illustrations

Journey with fifteen scholars to Southeast Asia and neighboring countries to discover the hidden meanings behind traditional textilesThroughout Asia, textiles have played an important role in concepts of power and kingship and are also closely associated with shamanistic, Buddhism and Islamic beliefs. The book presents scholarship and research from scholars from around the world and who participated in the James H. W. Thompson Foundation symposium, "Status, Myth and the Supernatural: Unraveling the Secrets of Southeast Asian Textiles," which was held in Bangkok in August of 2005. With hundreds of color illustrations and much new material not previously published, this 250 page volume presents many new perspectives on a fascinating topic.

This highly-illustrated book presents the insights of 12 scholars and art historians into the textiles of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Authors include Mattiebelle Gittenger, John Guy, Susan Conway and Gillian Green. Topics cover such diverse subjects as Shan and Thai court dress, Khmer textiles and Cham weaving. 220 colour illustrations

Created from an extensive range of locally produced and imported raw materials, and designed using an astonishing number of techniques--including different types of appliqué, decorative weaving, tie-dying, batik, and embroidery--Southeast Asian textiles are used to fashion an extraordinary variety of objects, ranging from everyday clothing to sacred and ceremonial costumes. This authoritative study focuses on the interplay between indigenous Southeast Asian traditions and the external cultural forces that have been a crucial part of the historical development and changing nature of the region's textile traditions. Maxwell considers the various ways Southeast Asian textile artisans reacted to the new ideas and raw materials from outside regions. The social, cultural, and religious dimensions of this art, the factors that condition how people create textiles, the way these are used, and the meaning of motifs and symbol are explored in detail. Including examples of textiles--some in categories that have never before been published--this reference work is a valuable contribution to the field of ethnographic textiles.