Academic literature on the topic 'Henri Maspero'

The Tai language of Qui Châu (northern Nghê An, Vietnam) was until recently one of the least known languages of the Daic phylum. It has an alphabetic orthography which is written vertically in columns from right to left, like traditional Chinese books. The present article, based on materials left by Henri Maspero, gives an overwiew of this writting system, which is ultimately derived from systems used in Siam in the XIVth Century. The Tai language of Qui Châu has a stratum of vocabulary closely related to the Yay branch of southern China. Our hypothesis is that these Tai people represent a Yay group who were forced out of southern China, settled in the Qui Châu area, and were later submerged by the migration of other Tai groups from northern Laos.

French sinology takes a special place in the history of the sinological studies development. It was France that became the first country where the transformation of missionary sinology, which was common among a limited circle of researchers (mainly in a religious sphere), into the academic scientific discipline, which had already been taught and studied at a professional level in academic institutions, occurred. The Parisian type of sinology used to dominate the entire world for a long time, including such powerful centers of Chinese studies as Germany, Great Britain, the USA, and China itself. The conducted historiographical analysis of the topic allows pointing out the insufficient coverage by the local researchers of the evolution of French sinology historical development as a whole process that had lasted for almost 800 years. This fact prompted the authors to reveal the mentioned topic. The purpose of the article is to investigate the historical development of French sinology during the 13th–21st centuries. In the course of the work, both general scientific methods and special ones were used, among which the priority was given to historical, chronological and problem-thematic methods. The analytical method and methods of grouping and typology were also applied, that made it possible to present the material in a logically complete manner. In order to form a complete picture of sinology development in France, the authors singled out and analyzed three historical periods covering the entire history of Chinese studies development, starting from its birth and flourishment to the process of stagnation. Thus, within the time limits of the first period, the process a peculiar scientific base of knowledge about China accumulating, as well as the development of missionary sinology, was investigated, and it was proved that it became a kind of bridge between the protosinological stage and academic sinology, which secularized the achievements of its predecessors in the 19th century and turned into a scientific academic discipline. Within the time limits of the second period, the scientific achievements of a whole galaxy of French scholars were analyzed, namely, Edouard Chavannes, Marcel Granet, Henri Paul Gaston Maspero, and others, and it was concluded that the Sinological school in France was at the peak of its development, and the views of its representatives gained priority among sinologists all over the world. Regarding the third period, the authors express the opinion that modern French sinology has lost its leading position in the scientific world, and the search for the latest methodological approaches and methods (primarily multidisciplinary with the use of digital technologies) is primarily an attempt to achieve parity with the leading centers of Chinese studies. Factual research material can be used for further study of the history of sinology development, as well as for writing generalising papers on Chinese studies, reading lecture courses, special courses and special seminars.

Henri Maspero (1883-1945) a été l’une des figures éminentes de la sinologie internationale au cours de la première moitié du XXe siècle. Il est certain que sa vie et les travaux en sinologie qu’il a menés tout au long de sa vie, méritent que cette nouvelle étude lui soit entièrement consacrée. Né dans une famille intellectuelle, Maspero a déjà manifesté de l’intérêt pour l’Orient pendant des années de lycée. Après des études à la Faculté des lettres et à l’École des langues orientales vivantes, il est arrivé en tant que pensionnaire à l’École française d’Extrême-Orient, passant ainsi du statut d’étudiant à celui de chercheur. Les années que Maspero a passé en Indochine, marqueront toute sa vie tant d’un point de vue académique que personnel. En 1920, Maspero est retourné à Paris pour succéder à Édouard Chavannes à la chaire de chinois du Collège de France. Un retour tant géographique qu’académique. Depuis lors, se situant à la convergence des courants académiques chinois et occidentaux, d’une part, il s’est attaché à puiser dans la tradition académique chinoise pour consolider ses recherches ; d’autre part, il n’a cessé d’appliquer de nouvelles perspectives et méthodes issue de l’académie occidentale dans les études sinologiques, produisant ainsi de brillants résultats dans de nombreux domaines liés à la Chine, tels que l’histoire, la société ou bien encore la religion. Bien que les travaux de Maspero aient souvent bien accueillis par les universitaires chinois, il est crucial de signaler que la diffusion de ses recherches pendant la période républicaine a été fortement influencée par des facteurs linguistiques et géographiques d’une part, et d’autre part, par les besoins pratiques de la société chinoise et du développement académique. Le travail fondamental de statistique et d’analyse réalisé à la fin de cette thèse a permis de mettre en lumière la valeur des études de Maspero de nos jours
Henri Maspero (1883-1945) was one of the eminent figures in international Sinology during the first half of the 20th century. It is certain that his life and the work he conducted in Sinology throughout his lifetime deserve this entire study dedicated to him. Born into an intellectual family, Maspero already showed interest in the Orient during his high school years. After studying at the Faculté des lettres and the École des langues orientales vivantes, he became a researcher at the École française d’Extrême-Orient. The years spent in Indochina marked his life significantly from both an academic and personal standpoint. In 1920, Maspero returned to Paris to succeed Édouard Chavannes as the Chair of Chinese Studies at the Collège de France. This return was both geographical and academic. Since then, positioned at the convergence of Chinese and Western academic currents, on one hand, he delved into Chinese academic tradition to strengthen his research; on the other hand, he continually applied new perspectives and methodologies from Western academia to Sinological studies, thus producing outstanding results in numerous fields related to China, such as history, society, and religion. Although Maspero's work was often well received by Chinese scholars, it is crucial to note that the dissemination of his research during the Republican period was significantly influenced by linguistic and geographical factors, as well as the practical needs of Chinese society and academic development. The fundamental statistical and analytical work conducted towards the end of this thesis has shed light on the enduring value of Maspero's studies today