Uyen T Nguyen
Interregional and interdisciplinary research and teaching are at the center of my academic identity. Originally from Vietnam, I received my BA in International Studies at Yonsei University in South Korea, and my MA and PhD in History at the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, I was trained in Southeast Asian history (Vietnam), East Asian history (China), and French & francophone literature.
My current book-length project looks at the communist takeovers of previously French-controlled cities in North Vietnam and the political and socio-cultural transformations that took place during the first four years after Ho Chi Minh’s government gained total control of the North (1954–1958). Simultaneously, I explore and apply existing theoretical models in other disciplines and fields to unanswered questions in Vietnamese historiography, seeing it as the key to overcome exceptionalist interpretations of Vietnamese experiences and to make fruitful connections to the larger history of human experiences.
I am currently teaching HSH1000: The Human Condition in the College of Humanities and Sciences. My goals as a teacher are to spark students’ interests in the humanities, to introduce students to scientific way of thinking and solving problems, and to equip students with critical skills and knowledge that will enable them to thrive in the future beyond the university.
Besides experiences in teaching and research, I have also been professionally involved with institutions and organizations outside of academia. Having maintained an extensive network with private firms and NGOs in Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and the U.S., I am prepared and open to mentor students in their explorations of the professional world outside of the university.
TEACHING AREAS:
- Integrated Humanities
- Southeast Asia
- East Asia
- French & Francophone Literature
RESEARCH FIELDS:
- Modern Vietnam
- Modern East Asia
- Decolonization
- Cold War & Communism
- Literature (Vietnamese & Francophone)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
- “Guerillas in the City: The Administrative Takeover of Hà Nội and DRV State-Making in the Urban Postwar Period (1954–1960),” Journal of Vietnamese Studies (2022) 17 (1): 1–52.
- Co-authored with Anthony Morreale, Chapter “Vietnam” in Marcello Musto and Babak Amini, eds., Routledge Handbook of Marx’s Capital: A Global History of Translation, Dissemination and Reception (Routledge, forthcoming)