Lampang Assessment: Revisiting a Classic Study of Field Research in Northern Thailand

Creation in 1969 of a Scandinavian field research station near Lampang in northern Thailand was a gamble. With war spreading from Vietnam into Laos and Cambodia and a communist insurgency growing in Thailand, some scholars feared being compromised by Cold War schemes. Yet for five years a large number of Nordic and other scholars undertook research based here, significant initiatives being made in archaeology, folklore, linguistics, etc. Following its closure in 1974, a volume was published showcasing this research but had a limited circulation. The situation is remedied by this new edition, which considers the research station in its time and offers insights into the changes sweeping higher education today.

• Søren Egerod, Editor

  Professor Søren Egerod (1923–95) was a distinguished Danish linguist and sinologist who played a key role in the development of Nordic Asia scholarship in the modern era. He helped establish the Scandinavian Institute of Asian Studies (SIAS, now NIAS) in 1968 and led the institute through to his retirement in 1987.

• Per Sørensen, Editor

  Per Sørensen (1932–2015) was a pioneer in Southeast Asian archaeology who was director of the SIAS Lampang field research station over the five years of its existence.