Long-time readers will recall that when I interviewed historian Michael Aung-Thwin back in November 2007, some of his statements caused consternation among those who take a different view of pre-modern Burmese history. Donald M. Stadtner has recently published a piece that takes on the range of contested perspectives about the “diverse cultural strands that made up Pagan’s civilization”. Stadtner has very kindly made his paper, first published in the Journal of the Siam Society, available here. Comments from readers on this debate, and its ongoing significance, are particularly encouraged.