When I was young my father, knowing of my interest in music and war, gave me a book entitled “Singing the Vietnam Blues: Songs of the Air Force in Southeast Asia.” Actually, he had it hidden so well he lost it and gave it to me years after he intended. I ended up losing it … Continued
I was selected for a two week institute entitled, Contested Territory, in which we took a deep dive into the multiple understandings and misunderstanding surrounding the Vietnam War (or as the Vietnamese refer to it: The American War). I had a basic understanding of this war in that it was a product of the Cold … Continued
I misunderstood the Geneva Accords and the reasons behind American involvement in Vietnam. I knew it was in the context of the Cold War but I did not understand why it had to happen and was I to teach a war or a conflict? After Pierre Asselin spoke on the subject and shared a similar … Continued
Over the course of the National Humanities Center Institute on Contested Territory: Southeast Asia 1945-1975 through the National Endowment for the Humanities, I learned about the contributing factors to the definition of territory. For instance; how territory is defined, claimed, argued about, and taken away. Territory is far more than just a physical space that … Continued
For teenagers, the world they live in is often described as “normal” and everything else is “weird.” One of my goals as a history teacher is to help my students recognize difference, but also to feel connected to people who lived in a much different place and time than them. Ho Xuan Huong’s poem, “Three … Continued
Sometimes you have to leave a place to understand it better. By travelling to North Carolina, I have come to understand a local resource in a new and different way. The idea of Vietnam as contested territory has long held fascination for me. I grew up at a time when we were trying to digest … Continued
A National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for K–12 Educators July 18–29, 2022 at the National Humanities Center OVERVIEW BIOGRAPHIES PARTICIPANTS READINGS Teaching Resources Depending on public health guidelines related to COVID-19, plans for a residential offering are subject to change. What do we think of when we think of Vietnam? For many, Vietnam … Continued
The National Humanities Center has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in support of a summer institute for teachers on Southeast Asia in the mid-twentieth century and events surrounding the Vietnam War. Set to take place July 20–31, 2020, Contested Territory: America’s Role in Southeast Asia, 1945–75 will involve thirty-six high school teachers selected from across the country who will spend two weeks at the Center working with scholars of Southeast Asia.