Mnemonic splinterings and disciplinary convergences: Memory studies, Vietnamese studies, and diasporic Vietnamese studies

Abstract

This article considers memory studies in the context of the Vietnamese case study in order to test and revise previous assumptions on dimensions, levels, and modes of memory drawn mostly from European or Northern American frameworks. In particular, it examines the politics of modern Vietnamese memories about war and migration both in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and in the Vietnamese refugee diaspora to consider the possibilities, limitations, and implications of such contested memory work. Highlighting the particularities of Vietnamese memory politics, the article illustrates what memory studies, Vietnamese studies, and diasporic Vietnamese studies can bring to each other and contribute to important disciplinary discussions ongoing in these fields.