Classroom activities in early education say a lot about society and its values of the human. One of my fond memories of kindergarten in Saigon is “fishing” from a pool of soft toys. I remember standing on the edge of what must have been a blown-up pool filled with parcels wrapped in decorative papers. I … More Memories and the making of us through others
In my previous blog, I wrote about fiction writers and the issue of language as experience versus language as representation. These are just different perspectives about the status of language and its function. If we view language as experience, then there’s something to be said about the need to have certain experiences as a writer; … More Is authorship worth the candle it lights?
I listened to a very interesting talk on the ABC podcast “The Minefield” about literary fiction, non- fiction and which format is more conducive to truth telling. Given that my work is in academic research, which centres on truth and justification through evidence and rational reasoning, I was very surprised when the guest Christos Tsiolkas, … More Is there truth within fiction?
My research has largely focused on Vietnam. Vietnam presents a great sociological project because Vietnamese society is so complex. Vietnam is layered with much contradictions and contestations. Given the Confucius history of Chinese imperialism, the Vietnamese traditional values are more characteristic of East Asian than South East Asian countries. Its history of colonialisation makes it … More Insider and Outsider
Lien Pham 