Vietnam and China Subtext

Subtext

Tran, Nhung Tuyet, and Anthony Reid. Borderless Histories. 1st ed. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.

Borderless Histories provides another view on the debate over Vietnamese national identity. The introduction provided by Nhung Tuyet Tran and Anthony J. Reid gives excellent examples and insight into both sides of the debate over a Vietnamese national identity, the Sino-Chinese legacy and the more modern indigenous national identity. Tran and Reid provide a series of sources from people that they feel have generally been marginalized such as women and cosmopolitan misfits, but they also provide documents written from the state’s point of view and even a variety of foreign documents. They use these documents to explore the different ideas of the Vietnamese nation, the history of nation building, the debate with China, and the American and Australia perspectives on the Vietnamese identity. While not explicitly disagreeing with Kelly’s work in Beyond the Bronze Pillars, Tran and Reid provide a view that in some ways contrasts with Kelly. However, while providing some contrasts Tran and Reid provide a balanced approach to the idea of a national identity which is an indispensable tool when considering the ideas that conflict against the ideas that have been accepted as truth since the late 19^th century.

Gellner, Ernest. "Nationalisms and The New World Order." Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 47(1994): 29-36.

Gellner, a well respected philosopher and social anthropologist, has dedicated much of his work to creating a more solid definition and cause for nationalism. Gellner’s views in this article lend strong support to the argument that Vietnam has only recently developed an idea of nationalism and is projecting back onto past historical events to synthesize an idea of longstanding nationalist traditions. Gellner argues that nationalism is very much a byproduct of industrialization and the industrial age’s quest for ever increasing technology. With this logic Vietnam would necessarily have had to define itself with a more local sense of place and self identifying more with what is around them on a day to day basis. This would lead one to believe that village life and local customary traditions would have far exceeded any sense of combined identity, or for that matter an identity that is entirely based off of an imperial culture that has been put into place by China. Critics to Gellner have suggested that it is indeed possible for nationalism to develop without the need for high technology or industrialization, pointing to nations today that have a sense of national pride and identity without industrialization. However, I feel that Gellner’s points warrant consideration especially in concerns to how a Vietnam from the past may have viewed themselves, both in relation to a “national” identity and in relation to their large neighbor to the north China.

Whitmore, John. "Literati Culture and Integration in Dai Viet, c. 1430-c. 1840." Modern Asian Studies 31(1997): 665-687.

An article providing a further examination at the culture and lifestyle of the so called literati of Vietnam, this article takes a look to later times in the history of Vietnam, starting from 1430 and moving into 1840. Whitmore provides more background even from earlier periods than originally indicated in his study of these literati. There are details on the political and cultural climates that influenced these men during their ascent into high education. Further, Whitmore provides more details on the shifting trends of the literati that prove helpful in the establishment of exactly what these people meant to society and how representative they are of the Vietnamese people as a whole. Finally, in a small way this article also provides confirmation of the importance given to the Confucian and Neo-Confucian systems in the early parts of his study, giving support to the ideas that suggest China played an important role in the Vietnamese identity.

Taylor, Keith. "Surface Orientations." Journal of Asian Studies 57(1998): 949-978.

Taylor, a well respected scholar on East and South East Asia, provides another perspective on the Vietnamese national identity. In “Surface Orientaitons” Taylor challenges a common conception of the Vietnamese regionalism. While he acknowledges these regional distinctions as a firm reality in Vietnam, he also makes a strong argument that these regionalisms do not break apart any sense of nationalism or national identity that the Vietnamese may have. Taylor attempts to take his point slightly further by suggesting that these regionalisms may have even contributed to a stronger sense of nationalism. Thus, Taylor feels that there is a solid foundation of Vietnamese national identity, despite the many differences in foundation or source the people of Vietnam are still subject to a shared history and these regionalisms in many ways serve their own national needs.

Brook, Timothy, and Bob Tadashi Wakabayashi. Opium Regimes. 1st ed. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2000.

Brook and Wakabayashi both acclaimed authors and professors based in Toronto combine to edit this comprehensive work on the Chinese Opium trade and its consequences to the Chinese people and society. While this work emphasizes China and its endeavors with opium the book can also serve as useful tool in understanding the trade patterns of East and South East Asia. During the introduction and much of the first part Brook and Wakabayashi include a considerable amount of material on the economic entanglement that had been a long standing pattern in Chinese history. This well established trade system leads to a further discussion on the tributary nature of the economies surrounding China and ultimately how these economies were used to further exploit China by the European powers both as they first began their economic conquests into China and during the so called “Opium Wars”. Finally, the book provides excellent source material on the economic and cultural reliance created out of the trading practices with tributary countries, as it shows how the networks for so long had benefited China, but with the introduction of European parties came the downfall of trade for the once mighty nation.