Minutes of the Annual Meeting, March 15, 1997, Chicago

VSG Executive Committee:

Hue-Tam Ho Tai, History (Harvard University) term expires 1998

Keith Taylor, History (Cornell University) term expires 1999

Hy van Luong, Anthropology (University of Toronto), term expires 1999

Shaun Malarney, Anthropology (International Chrisitian University) term expires 1999

Irene Norlund, Economics (Nordic Institute of Asian Studies) term expires 1999.

Peter Zinoman, History (UC-Berkeley) term expires 1999

Except for Shaun Malarney and Peter Zinoman, all members of the EC were present at the VSG meeting on Saturday, March 15. The meeting was attended by about 40 persons, including a few observers.

Panels for AAS:

Tai began by noting that on several occasions prior to the AAS, Barbara Andaya, the SEA program committee chair, had remarked on the quantity and quality of Vietnam proposals that had been submitted for this year's AAS. This was in contrast with the dearth of other SEA proposals. This point was reiterated at the SEAC meeting, which took place on Thursday March 13. Tai reminded members of the VSG that the previous meeting had devoted much time to discussing possible panels, and that the effort had obviously paid off handsomely. All the Vietnam panels so far had been excellent. She encouraged Vietnam specialists to start thinking of possible panels right at the AAS. These could be Vietnam-specific panels, or could be intra-regional panels. One proposal that had come up at SEAC was for a panel on urban studies. This will be organized by Dan Doeppers of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. All those interested, or with suggestions for participants, should contact Dan.

GUAVA/VASSI

Steve O'Harrow of the University of Hawaii reported that there had been 40 applicants for 12 fellowships to VASSI. The number and quality of the applications had forced the selection committee to limit the fellowships to graduate students, but there was a feeling among some members that in future, a few fellowships should be reserved for promising undergraduates. This elicited a question about selection criteria. O'Harrow replied that the main criterion was scholarly promise rather than sheer language proficiency.

Fulbright:

Frank Proschan of Inidiana University raised the issue of the Fulbright fellowships, in particular the privileging of economics. He wished to know whether the VSG could make its opinion known in this regard. Tai replied that the Fulbright program which brings students from Vietnam is administered through the Harvard Institute for International Development, and that, because of this institutional aspect, it is difficult for her to argue for a different emphasis. Proschan, however, suggested that the CIEE, which administers Fulbright fellowships for US students going to Vietnam should be made aware of the strong feeling among Vietnam specialists and students that the selection criteria should be broadened. Edwin Moise of Clemson University declared that the issue was too complex to be exhausted in one meeting and that the discussion should be continued, possibly through the VSG homepage (discussed below).

Indochina Chronicle:

Virginia Shih of Berkeley reported that the Indochina Chronicle will resume publication in the near future once Prof. Douglas Pike is settled at Texax Tech.

Conferences:

Tai reported that the Euroviet Conference is scheduled for July this year in Leiden. Though the deadline for submissions has passed, it should still be possible to propose panels or papers. Tai also mentioned that the Center for Vietnamese and Intercultural Studies of Hanoi, which is directed by Professor Phan Huy Le, is planning to hold a Vietnamese studies meeting in the Spring of 1998 and would welcome proposals for papers and panels. The date for this meeting has not yet been fixed, but Prof. Le tentatively plans to hold in March. There was strong feeling that this was not convenient for most US academics as it interferes with teaching.

Luce Vietnam Studies Initiative:

Tai reported that Luce is considering a new initiative to support Vietnamese studies and has solicited advice from SEA National Resource Centers. Tai noted that she herself is in favor of providing support for graduate students as a means of strengthening the field. She invited members of the VSG to contact Luce with their own suggestions for priorities.

Vietnam Reader:

Thaveeporn Vasavakul of the Australian National University reported on the progress in producing a reader in Vietnamese of Vietnam related materials. The reader had received a very enthusiastic reception in Vietnam. A number of articles had already been translated. David Marr and she, the prime movers of the reader, welcomed suggestions for more articles to be translated.

Report on SEAC

Hy van Luong, who is on the Southeast Asia Council of the AAS, reported on the SEAC meeting. In particular, the incoming President of the AAS, James C. Scott of Yale University, is planning to organize a symposium for the Journal of Asian Studies focusing on the relationship between development and the displacement of ethnic minorities in Asia.

Hy van Luong also noted the effort of SEAC to build on the success of the SEAC "Small grants for isolated scholars" which was funded by Luce and has now ended after 6 years. The consensus at the SEAC meeting was to submit a proposal for a grant to promote the professional development of graduate students, in particular those who had recently returned from the field and needed the opportunity to present their findings at conferences and to make the kinds of connections that would help them in their research and their future careers.

Homepage:

Tai reported that Edie Shillue had done a tremendous job of keeping the Vietnam Studies Bulletin going over the last few years as a contribution from her and the Wm Joiner Center at UMass-Boston to the field of Vietnamese studies. Nonetheless, since Edie is not at a center for Vietnamese studies, she does not always receives the kind of information that would be useful for those interestered in research in and on Vietnam. SEAC is strongly encouraging country groups to produce their own homepage which would then be linked to the SEAC homepage. Judith Henchy of the University of Washington (who was unable to attend the meeting) has volunteered to produce a homepage. The VSG suggested that information could be disseminated quickly through the Internet and should not need to be published only twice a year. However, it would still be desirable to print a hardcopy at least twice a year for the sake of those who do not have access to the Internet. The VSG then discussed the type of information that would be good to have included in a VSG homepage:

about GUAVA and application forms.

about grants, fellowships and applications forms

conferences in or about Vietnam.

monographs, articles, and citations.

abstracts of conferences.

dissertation abstracts.

research experiences, information about academic institutions and structures in Vietnam.

Miscellaneous News:

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID MARR! David G Marr of the Australian National University was awarded the John King Fairbank Prize of the American Historical Association for the best work in East Asian history for his book Vietnam: 1945 (University of California Press, 1996).

Frank Proschan announced that Ngo Duc Thinh, director of the Institute for the Study of Folklore (Vien Nghien Cuu Van Hoa Dan Gian) and To Ngoc Thanh are scheduled to visit Indiana University in October-November 1997. Those wishing to invite them for a brief visit should contact Frank at Proschan@indiana.edu.

Hue-Tam Ho Tai, April 1997

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