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Scholars have long accepted the belief that a Theravada Buddhist Mon kingdom, Rāmaññadesa, flourished in coastal Lower Burma until it was conquered in 1057 by King Aniruddha of Pagan-which then became, in essence, the new custodian and repository of Mon culture in the Upper Burmese interior. This scenario, which Aung-Thwin calls the "Mon Paradigm," has circumscribed much of the scholarship on early Burma and significantly shaped the history of Southeast Asia for more than a century. Now, in a masterful reassessment of Burmese history, Michael Aung-Thwin reexamines the original contemporary accounts and sources without finding any evidence of an early Theravada Mon polity or a conquest by Aniruddha. The paradigm, he finds, cannot be sustained. How, when, and why did the Mon Paradigm emerge? Aung-Thwin meticulously traces the paradigm's creation to the merging of two temporally, causally, and contextually unrelated Mon and Burmese narratives, which were later synthesized in English by colonial officials and scholars. Thus there was no single originating source, only a late and mistaken conflation of sources. The conceptual, methodological, and empirical ramifications of these findings are significant. The prevalent view that state-formation began in the maritime regions of Southeast Asia with trade and commerce rather than in the interior with agriculture must now be reassessed. In addition, a more rigorous look at the actual scope and impact of a romanticized Mon culture in the region is required. Other issues important to the field of early Burma and Southeast Asian studies, including the process of "Indianization," the characterization of "classical" states, and the advent and spread of Theravada Buddhism, are also directly affected by Aung-Thwin's work. Finally, it provides a geo-political, cultural, and economic alternative to what has become an ethnic interpretation of Burma's history.An electronic version of this book is freely available thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched, a collaborative initiative designed to make high-quality books open access for the public good. The open-access version of this book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which means that the work may be freely downloaded and shared for non-commercial purposes, provided credit is given to the author. Derivative works and commercial uses require permission from the publisher.

HISTORY / Asia / Southeast Asia. --- Legends --- Mon State (Burma) --- Burma --- History. --- Historiography. --- History --- Folk tales --- Traditions --- Urban legends --- Folklore --- Birmanskiĭ Soi︠u︡z --- Union of Burma --- Burma (Union) --- Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma --- Pyidaungsu Myanmma Naing Ngan-Daw --- Birmanie --- Birmânia --- Myanmar --- Mien Chin --- Burmah --- Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw --- Myanma Naingngandaw --- Pyidaungsu Socialist Thammada Myanma Naingngandaw --- Mranʻ mā --- Praññʻ thoṅʻ cu Chuirhayʻlacʻ Sammata Mranʻ mā Nuiṅʻ ṅaṃ toʻ --- Union of Myanmar --- Birma --- Myanma --- Republic of the Union of Myanmar --- Pyidaunzu Thanmăda Myăma Nainngandaw --- Mianmar --- Unie van Mianmar --- Unie van Birma --- Pyi-daung-zu Myan-mar Naing-ngan-daw --- Myanma Birliyi Respublikası --- М'янма --- M'i︠a︡nma --- Рэспубліка Саюз М'янма --- Rėspublika Sai︠u︡z M'i︠a︡nma --- П'ідаўнзу М'янма Найнганда --- P'idaŭnzu M'i︠a︡nma Naĭnhanda --- Саюз М'янма --- Sai︠u︡z M'i︠a︡nma --- Mijanmar --- Mijanmarska Unija --- Мианмар --- Република Съюз Мианмар --- Republika Sŭi︠u︡z Mianmar --- República de la Unió de Myanmar --- Birmanya --- Barma --- Svazová republika Myanmar --- Undeb Myanmar --- Myanmar Unionens Republik --- Pyidaungsu Thamada Myanmar Naing-Ngan-Daw --- Pye Tawngsu Thammada Myanma Naingngan --- Republik der Union von Myanmar --- Myanmari Liidu Vabariik --- Μιανμάρ --- ʼΕνωση του Μιανμαρ --- Enōsē tou Mianmar --- Βιρμανία --- Virmania --- Μπούρμα --- Bourma --- Δημοκρατία της ʼΕνωσης της Μιανμάρ --- Dēmokratia tēs Enōsēs tēs Mianmar --- Unión de Myanmar --- República de la Unión de Myanmar --- Birmo --- Mjanmao --- Mjanmaa Unio --- Myanmarko Batasuna --- République de l'Union du Myanmar --- Myanmarin tasavallan unioni --- Puruma --- Maenmar --- Unión de Birmania --- Mjanmar --- Mjanma --- Unija Mjanmar --- Mianmari Államszövetség Köztársasága --- ミャンマー --- 미얀마 --- Miyanma --- 버마 --- Bŏma --- 缅甸 --- Miandian --- Praññʻ thoṅʻ cu Sammata Mranʻ mā Nuiṅʻ ṅaṃ toʻ --- Mranʻ mā Nuiṅʻ ṅaṃ toʻ --- Pyidaungzu Thammada Myanma Naingngandaw --- Ḍunʻ Manʻ Rāmañña (Burma) --- Rāmañña Mvanʻ Praññʻ (Burma) --- Rahmonya Mon State (Burma) --- National Unity Government of Myanmar --- National Unity Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar --- Aniruddha --- Bago --- Bamar people --- Kyansittha --- Lower Myanmar --- Mon language --- Mon people