Re-education as Historical Topic

From: David A Biggs <david.biggs@ucr.edu>

Date: Mar 28, 2006 9:03 AM

Subject: [Vsg] re-education as historical topic

Dear VSG Members-

A student from deep in the heart of the OC (Huyen Cam) expressed an

interest in writing a history of re-education in postwar Vietnam. What

makes this proposal interesting is that the student wishes to study it from

the perspective of internees as well as interners, working with military

history museums in Vietnam and getting in touch with former guards. The

topic is certainly interesting from a number of angles, perhaps extending

histories of imprisonment in Vietnam, but its also extremely sensitive.

What do you think? Especially those VSG members in Vietnam who may have

contact with military history museums. Is this topic too sensitive or is

it potentially doable and what would be the requirements?

Just Curious-

David

From: Nora Taylor <nthanoi04@yahoo.com>

Date: Mar 28, 2006 11:12 AM

Subject: Re: [Vsg] re-education as historical topic

Dear David,

A PhD student in English Literature at the University

of Oklahoma wrote a very interesting PhD thesis on

oral narratives of former internees. She collected the

data through transcripts of recollections and life

stories of former camp internees living in Oklahoma.

She retranscribed the stories as they were told to her

in Vietnamese and then translated them. Her thesis has

a bried intro and conclusion about the history of

re-education camps but because she had very little

historical material she rellied mostly on the

narratives. She did not want to conduct research in

Vietnam partly out of fear, but also because she is

not a historian. You could get in touch with her or

get a copy of her thesis if it might help the student

get started. If you, or anybody on the list, is

interested, send me a personal email:

nthanoi04@yahoo.com and I will give the dissertation

title etc...

Nora