2024-01-20

Call for Papers:
Vietnam and the Americas: 50 Years After
RIAS Vol. 18, Spring–Summer (1/2025)
Edited by Justin M. Battin and Giacomo Traina
(Call open until October 31st 2024)

2025 will mark the 50^th anniversary since the conclusion of US-led military involvement in Vietnam, a pivotal event in the 20th century with far-reaching consequences, such as the formation of diasporic communities worldwide, many of which settled across the Americas, with the majority established in North America. The five decades provide us with a unique perspective on the possibilities and impossibilities of healing and reconciliation and understanding the long-term war legacies between both Vietnamese and American societies. Studying the processes determining the transoceanic value transfer is the sine-qua-non condition of appreciating how the cultures of the Americas and the culture of Vietnam have influenced and enriched each other, beyond political and historical contexts.

In this important year, this issue of Review of International American Studies invites papers that explores the multifaceted and varied cultural exchanges between Vietnam and American societies, which includes customs, arts, language, values, and religious and political beliefs. The issue also examines the socio-cultural implications of the establishment of diasporic communities across the dual continent, focusing on reasons for migration/displacement, challenges faced, and the enduring efforts to preserve Vietnamese culture abroad. Papers on memory (individual, communicative, and collective) and the shaping of cultural identities and perceptions, such as how memories of historical events like the War and postwar Vietnam/subsidy time are passed down through generations, and their enduring impact on Vietnamese and American societies, are welcome. Finally, it explores the contemporary state of Vietnam and its evolving connections with the Americas, encompassing economic, political, and cultural ties. This comprehensive approach invites contributions from diverse fields, aiming to present a holistic view of the relationship between Vietnam and the Americas from 1975 to the present day.

Key topics include:

• The socio-cultural impacts of Vietnamese diasporic communities in the Americas, focusing on migration/displacement causes, challenges encountered, and efforts to preserve Vietnamese culture abroad.
• Analyses of memory (individual, communicative, and collective) and its role in shaping cultural identities and perceptions, particularly how memories of historical events such as the War and post-war Vietnam are transmitted across generations and their lasting influence on Vietnamese and American societies.
• Contemporary Vietnam and its developing connections with the Americas, covering economic, political, and cultural ties.

Areas of Particular Interest

• Collective and Cultural Memory
• Diaspora Communities in the Americas
• Vietnamese Refugee and Diasporic Narratives
• Narratives of Reconciliation
• Political Exchanges
• Cultural Representations in Literature, Cinema, and Visual Arts
• Social Imaginaries from Vietnamese and American Perspectives
• Vietnam as a Constructed Concept in the Americas
• Colonialism and De-colonization (including Post-colonial and Neo-colonial Viewpoints)
• Vietnamese and American Trajectories (Economic, Political, Cultural)

Submission Guidelines

Articles should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words. Please submit your work via the Review of International American Studies' Online Journal System by October 31, 2024.

Each submission must include:

1) Author's First Name and Family Name
2) Author's Institutional Affiliation
3) Author's ORCID Number
4) Author's Website Address
5) Author's Email Address
6) Physical Address for Delivery of Complimentary Hard Copy (if desired)
7) Title of the Article
8) Abstract of the Article (250-350 words)
9) Biographical Note on the Author (250-350 words)
10) Keywords
11) Disciplines Represented (see [Wikipedia's Outline of Academic Disciplines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_academic_disciplines)
12) Text of the Article, formatted according to the MLA Handbook (9th edition) (length: 4,000-6,000 words)
13) Bibliography of Works Cited, formatted according to the MLA Handbook (9th edition)
14) Print Quality Images (min. 300 dpi)
15) Permissions or Licenses for all Copyrighted Visual Material

IMPORTANT: Incomplete submissions will be automatically rejected.