Events

CHAIRPERSON

Prof Gerald Sasges, Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National University of Singapore

ABSTRACT

As in other parts of the world, Evangelical Protestantism currently challenges religious policies in Southeast Asia. The academic world tries generally to analyze the vitality of this phenomenon in accordance with contemporary mutations of the Nation-States and as an effect of the globalization. In the case of Vietnam but also with its neighbors, researchers turn one’s deep attention to ethnicity issues, to multiethnic situations, to economic mutations that all tend to explain the growth of religious communities and the dissemination of local churches. In order to throw light on the regional religious context, this presentation aims to rethink historically the current dynamic of Protestantism. To do so, we need to take an interest in the diverse roots of this minority religion in Vietnam. If we know the main role that the Christian and Missionary Alliance has played in the evangelization of Vietnam, very few is known on the French-speaking Reformed Church and on its influence over Vietnamese Protestantism. Thanks to new documents collected in France these last years, this presentation gives an overview of this presence in the Indochinese Peninsula during the whole 20th century. I will specifically focus on the 1920’s (through the analysis in particular of a letter written in 1921 by Nguyễn Ái Quốc to a French Pastor when he was in Paris), the 1950’s (decolonizing church) and the 1960’s (internationalizing church in the Southern part of Vietnam) to show how the challenges of Evangelization, colonization and emancipation evolved during this last century.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Pascal Bourdeaux is Assistant Professor at the École pratique des hautes études (Paris) and a statuary member of the research laboratory « Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités » (UMR 8582 EPHE-CNRS). His research concerns the history of religious sciences in South-East Asia, contemporary religiosities in Southern Viêt Nam and the study of riverine civilisation of the Mekong delta. He is currently posted to Viêt Nam where he is representative of the École française d’Extrême-Orient in Hô Chi Minh Ville to initiate the research program entitled “Understanding the culture and environment of southern Vietnam: historical perspectives, contemporary approaches”. Its main objective is the social construction of the Mekong Delta in interaction with its hydraulic and environmental dimensions. Another theme is the study of popular literature, sources and writings relating to southern Vietnamese society (especially the digitalization and publication of a pictured manuscript of the Poem Lục Vân Tiên).

REGISTRATION

Admission is free. We would greatly appreciate if you RSVP Mr Jonathan Lee via email: jonathan.lee@nus.edu.sg