Lao History Stories—Towards
Multivocality in History Writing
Anna Karlström
Department of Archaeology and Ancient History
Uppsala University
Sweden
Abstract:
The history of a country sometimes has a tendency to start with the
establishment of a state or states in that particular area. The idea of a
unified nation, where nation borders were much the same as those today, and the
idea of a people, unified by and homogenous within that nation are essential in
the conceptualization of a country’s history. The formation of Lane Xang kingdom
in the mid 14th century is often set as the starting point for the history of
Laos.
In this paper I will use the results from last years’ archaeological fieldwork
in Vientiane Province to discuss what happens when myths and legends concerning
origin and history of Laos, and archaeological research including survey and
excavation meet. In this case they meet in Viengkham, a site which to some
extent were significant in the formation of Lane Xang kingdom, but also
indicates a continuity of human activity and early state formation from the 7th
to 8th century.