When I first arrived at Cornell University in 2011, Benedict Anderson was still alive and attending events such as the weekly Southeast Asia Program brownbag (now the Gatty Lecture Series). By that time, he was always wearing shorts, even when it was pretty cold out, and often slippers, too. We corresponded a bit when my small grad student reading group read his book, The Fate of Rural Hell. Later, I met him in Bangkok, where he questioned me about my research and pronounced me capable enough in the Thai language to make a success out of it!

Some time later, we both attended a film showing organized by Prof. Charnvit Kasetsiri at the Siam Paragon movie theater in Bangkok (see image). At that time, it was virtually unheard of to remain seated as the royal anthem played before the movie began. But while I was standing, I glanced back and saw Ajarn Ben (as he was known to younger Thai studies folks) appearing fast asleep—and firmly seated—in the row behind me. I always wondered whether he was making a political statement, or if he really had just fallen asleep!

It’s still very hard for me to craft a compelling piece of historical writing from scattered thoughts and extensive notes. It can be overwhelming, especially at first. I used to try to make space for every interesting piece of evidence, but this usually resulted in meandering, aimless prose. Now, after haranguing my students to build their papers around arguments, not the other way around, I’m trying to follow this advice myself!

* The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University.