Khin Sok ( km, ឃឹន សុខ; 1942 - 10 October 2011) was a Cambodian historian, linguist, literature and arts scholar. He acquired a doctorate of history in Paris, published scientific works, taught as a professor in the
Royal University of Phnom Penh
The Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP; km, សាកលវិទ្យាល័យភូមិន្ទភ្នំពេញ; french: Université royale de Phnom Penh) is a national research university of Cambodia, located in the Phnom P ...
and was a member of the
Royal Academy of Cambodia
The Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC; km, រាជបណ្ឌិត្យសភាកម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; french: Académie royale du Cambodge) is the national academy and university of Cambodia. RAC was originally established b ...
. His publications during the second half of the 20th century profoundly contributed to the scientific interpretation of historical sources, literature and the systemic development of the modern
Khmer language
Khmer (; , ) is an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic language spoken by the Khmer people, and the Official language, official and national language of Cambodia. Khmer has been influenced considerably by Sanskrit and Pāli, Pali, especiall ...
. As a participant of the Khmerization movement he encouraged the promotion of a culturally independent Cambodia on the basis of enlightened and scholarly education in an international context.
Career
![Royal University of Phnom Penh Campus 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Royal_University_of_Phnom_Penh_Campus_2.JPG)
After successfully acquiring certificates and titles in advanced literature and the arts, Khin Sok taught
Khmer language
Khmer (; , ) is an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic language spoken by the Khmer people, and the Official language, official and national language of Cambodia. Khmer has been influenced considerably by Sanskrit and Pāli, Pali, especiall ...
between 1973 and 1993 at the
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales ( en, National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations), abbreviated as INALCO, is a French university specializing in the teaching of languages and cultures from the world. ...
(INALCO) and published his early works (Mon-Khmer Studies, History Revisions) in Paris at the Bulletin de l’
École française d'Extrême-Orient
The French School of the Far East (french: École française d'Extrême-Orient, ), abbreviated EFEO, is an associated college of PSL University dedicated to the study of Asian societies. It was founded in 1900 with headquarters in Hanoi in wh ...
.
From 1975 on he conducted studies, revisions, interpretations and translations of the
Cambodian Royal Chronicles
The Cambodian Royal Chronicles or Cambodian Chronicles (Rajabansavatar or Rapa Ksatr) are a collection of 18th and 19th century historical manuscripts that focus on the time from around the year 1430 to the beginning of the 16th century. This perio ...
, culminating 1988 in his work "Chroniques royales du Cambodge (De Banà Yàt jusqu’à la prise de Lanvaek de 1417 à 1595). Traduction française avec comparaison des différences version et introduction" - a widely acclaimed revision and reinterpretation of previous works of European scholars. He and fellow scholar Mak Phoeun reassembled the individually treated, stylistically and methodically
differing works of most of the French authors and rearranged them into a new context. During the 1970s and 1980s he published a number of works on the interpretation of inscriptions of various temple ruins of the
Khmer Empire. His expertise helped to supplement and determine the actual
Royal Chronology of Cambodia.
Beginning in the late 1980s, he produced a number of scientific papers on the history and the relations between
Annam (modern day
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
),
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...
(modern day
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
) and
pre-colonial Cambodia. In 1991 he published his synoptic works "Cambodia squeezed between Siam and Vietnam (from 1775 to 1860)" and "The annexation of Cambodia by Vietnam during the 19th Century, as retold in two poems composed by Venerable Botum Baramey Pich (The Kampoub Ter Ong story)".
During the 1990s Khin Sok's publications shifted towards linguistic topics, such as the first grammar book on modern Khmer language, a comprehensive Khmer language manual in co-operation with Claude Jacques and Yoshiaki Ishizawa and a contemporary Cambodian-French dictionary, followed by his concluding work: "La khmérisation de l’enseignement et l’indépendance culturelle au Cambodge - On the Khmérisation of education and the cultural independence of Cambodia."
In later years he alternatively taught history and civilization of the countries of Southeast Asia in Phnom Penh and Paris in order to lend his expertise and presume the tradition of scholarly exchange and co-operation. Khin Sok was a prominent member of the "Association Culturelle Franco-Khmer", the "Association Des Etudiants Cambogiens" in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and the Cambodian Academic Network.
Titles and diplomas
* BA in literature (Phnom Penh Faculty of Arts, 1967)
* Certificate of advanced Khmer literature studies (Phnom Penh, 1968)
* EPHE Diploma (4th Section, 1971)
* Doctorate in History (Paris VI University, 1975)
* PhD in Literature and Human Sciences (EHESS, 1987)
* University professor
Occupations
* High school math teacher in Phnom Penh
* History professor at the Phnom Penh university
* Professor at the Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations from 1973 until his retirement (from assistant professor to lecturer).
* Member of the Cambodian Royal Academy.
Publications
* Cambodian royal chronology (From Ponhea Yat to the fall of Longvek – between 1417 and 1595). French translation with a comparison of the various versions and introduction. Published by EFEO, Collection of texts and documents on Indochina, XIII, 1988, 471 pp.
* Cambodia squeezed between Siam and Vietnam (from 1775 to 1860). Published by the EFEO, Collection of texts and documents on Indochina, XVIII, 1991, 350 pp. incl. maps.
* Modern Khmer grammar, with an introduction by Claude Hagère (Prof. at Collège de France), Paris, You Feng Ed., 1999, 620 pp.
* The annexation of Cambodia by Vietnam during the 19th Century as retold in two poems composed by Venerable Botum Baramey Pich (The Kampoub Ter Ong story), Paris, You Feng Ed., 2002, 416 pp.
* Manual of Cambodian epigraphy, with the collaboration of Claude Jacques and Yoshiaki Ishizawa. Vol. I, Paris, EFEO/UNESCO and the Japanese Government, 2007, 215 pp.
* Cambodian grammar, Phnom Penh, Published by the Cambodian Royal Academy, 2007, 501 pp.
* Contributions to joint projects and magazine articles.
See also
*
École française d'Extrême-Orient
The French School of the Far East (french: École française d'Extrême-Orient, ), abbreviated EFEO, is an associated college of PSL University dedicated to the study of Asian societies. It was founded in 1900 with headquarters in Hanoi in wh ...
*
Royal University of Phnom Penh
The Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP; km, សាកលវិទ្យាល័យភូមិន្ទភ្នំពេញ; french: Université royale de Phnom Penh) is a national research university of Cambodia, located in the Phnom P ...
*
Cambodian Royal Chronicles
The Cambodian Royal Chronicles or Cambodian Chronicles (Rajabansavatar or Rapa Ksatr) are a collection of 18th and 19th century historical manuscripts that focus on the time from around the year 1430 to the beginning of the 16th century. This perio ...
*
History of Cambodia
The history of Cambodia, a country in mainland Southeast Asia, can be traced back to Indian civilization. Detailed records of a political structure on the territory of what is now Cambodia first appear in Chinese annals in reference to Funan, a ...
*
Post-Angkor Period
The post-Angkor period of Cambodia ( km, ប្រទេសកម្ពុជាក្រោយសម័យអង្គរ), also called the Middle Period and Dark Age ( km, យុគ្គអន្ធកាល, lit=Isolationism, link=yes; ( km ...
*
Khmer language
Khmer (; , ) is an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic language spoken by the Khmer people, and the Official language, official and national language of Cambodia. Khmer has been influenced considerably by Sanskrit and Pāli, Pali, especiall ...
*
Literature of Cambodia
Cambodian literature ( km, អក្សរសាស្ត្រខ្មែរ, ), also Khmer literature, has a very ancient origin. Like most Southeast Asian national literatures its traditional corpus has two distinct aspects or levels:
*The ...
Bibliography
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References
External links
CULTURAL ASSOCIATION FRANCO KHMERKhmerStudies LinksThe Association of Cambodian students in FranceSoutheast Asian StudiesEcole Free KhmereIntered InstitutePublications of Khin Sok and Mak Phoeun
{{Authority control
Historiography of Cambodia
Cambodian literature
1942 births
2011 deaths
Historians of Southeast Asia