The Controversial Role of Thich Nhat Hanh in the Vietnamese Diaspora
Nguyet Nguyen | 26 November 2024 | 6pm Gulf Standard Time (3:00 PM CET) | Zoom (Webinar)
This talk offered an in-depth examination of original research on the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, known as a global peace activist and the “father of mindfulness” who had profound influence among the American public beginning during the Vietnam War as well as in France and elsewhere until his death in 2022. The Dalai Lama praised his “truly meaningful life,” and Martin Luther King nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Drawing from first-hand testimonies of Vietnamese antiwar activists, as well as a thorough analysis of primary and secondary sources, this presentation brought to light lesser-known and potentially controversial aspects of his leadership. Beyond these revelations, the study raises critical questions regarding the intersections of collective and individual identity within decolonization movements, as well as the role of culture as a transnational anti-colonial strategy.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nguyet Nguyen is assistant professor of history at the University of Alaska Southeast. She earned her MA at the University of Oregon on a Fulbright scholarship in 2010, and obtained her Ph.D. at American University in 2019. Besides a Fulbright scholarship, she received multiple awards and fellowships from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, the Asian Studies Association, the New York University Cold War Center, the American Association of University Women, and Cosmos Foundation.
Her research interests include the Vietnam War, US Foreign Relations, Imperialism and Decolonization, and Gender Politics.
Her book, Antiwar Transnationalism: People's Diplomacy in the Vietnam War, focusing on the role of the Vietnamese in the transnational movement against the Vietnam War, is forthcoming from Cornell University Press. She is collaborating with film director Samantha Farinella to produce a documentary about the experience of revolutionary Vietnamese combattants, including regular (male and female) soldiers, youth pioneers, and guerrillas.