The 5th "Engaging with Vietnam - An Interdisciplinary Dialogue" Conference

Conference organisation partners: Monash University Australia, The University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University Hanoi, and The University of Hawaii

December 16-17, 2013

Venue: The University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Nguyen Trai Road, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi

Conference Theme:

Integrating Knowledge: The Multiple Ways of Knowing Vietnam

The first “Engaging with Vietnam: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue” conference was held in 2010 at Monash University and featured Vietnam-related work by Vietnamese and international researchers and research students in Australian universities and organizations. The second and third conferences moved to Vietnam, and saw the added participation of scholars and research students based in Vietnam, Southeast Asia and various other countries around the world. For the fourth “Engaging with Vietnam” conference we moved our center of gravity once again in order to involve new participants, and also to gain the inspiration which comes from moving beyond familiar boundaries. The 4^th Engaging Vietnam Conference continued the traditions developed in the three previous conferences in Hanoi and Melbourne emphasizing policy-relevant interdisciplinary and international academic research and dialogue between Vietnamese and foreign scholars interested in Vietnam. One of the key identities of the Engaging with VN Conferences is its interdisciplinary research rigour that places knowledge, research and scholarship as well as policy-research dialogues at the core of its agendas.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia. Over the course of the past four decades, not only have Vietnam and Australia developed close ties on multiple levels, but Vietnam has also become much more integrated with the rest of the world as well.

For this 5th Engaging with Vietnam: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue Conference, we are encouraging participants to reflect on this issue of integration, particularly as it concerns the production of knowledge. What does it mean when we say that there is scholarly integration between Vietnam and the rest of the world? What is it that scholarship in Vietnam is integrating with? Is there only one form of “world scholarship” that can be integrated into? Or are there many? Are there some forms of knowledge that cannot be integrated into other ways of knowing? And finally, to what degree has the production of knowledge in Vietnam actually already become integrated with the production of knowledge in other parts of the world? Is the degree of integration the same across the disciplines?

These are some of the questions that the keynote speakers at the conference will be addressing. Participants are welcome to present on their own disciplinary research, but we encourage all participants to reflect on the issues that the conference seeks to address and to include their reflections in their papers and presentations.

The following individuals have tentatively agreed to participate in keynote sessions:

Phạm Quang Minh, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University - Hanoi

Hue-Tam Ho Tai, Harvard University

Nguyen Xuan Vang, VIED - MOET

Peter Zinoman, University of California at Berkeley

Phan Lê Hà, Monash University Australia and The University of Reading UK

Lien-Hang Nguyen, University of Kentucky

Phạm Quỳnh Phương, Institute of Culture

Ben Kerkvliet, Australian National University and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa

Philip Hirsh, University of Sydney

Liam Kelley, University of Hawai’i at Manoa

David Del Testa, Bucknell University

We look forward to your  participation and to another great Engaging with Vietnam conference.

Warmest regards,

Conference Chairs and Convenors (Dr Phan Le Ha - Monash University, Australia; A/Prof Pham Quang Minh - University of Social Sciences and Humanities Hanoi; and  A/Prof Liam Kelley - University of Hawaii at Manoa)

Together with other members of the Organizing Committee (Dr Nguyen To Lan, Institute for Sino-Nom Studies & Ms Le Thuy Linh - Monash University)