Third Euroviet Conference

Vietnamese Society in Transition: continuity or change?

By John Kleinen

Preliminary exchanges of views with experts in the field, Vietnamese and European alike, have indicated a general interest in the momentous changes in Vietnamese society brought about in recent years by the implementation of the market-oriented economy. Therefore Vietnamese Society in Transition: continuity or change ? (Societé Vietnamienne: mutations ou permanences?) has been proposed as the provisional theme for the coming conference
The topic has been chosen because Vietnam's transition to a market economy is having weighty consequences for the society at large. Since the majority of the population still lives in the countryside, it is taken for granted that those to be most seriously affected will be the Vietnamese farmers in their villages.
Major research projects relevant to the theme are already under way inside and outside Vietnam. Inside Vietnam, studies of the changing social landscape have been facilitated by the accessibility to quantative data gathered by large-scale surveys conducted by research institutes affiliated to the party or the government (Rich and Poor in the Countryside Today: census reports and analyses; reports in social science and history journals).
Another topic which should be mentioned is the study of the further stages of development in the 'Rule by Law', implemented at the inter-congress Party conference held in January 1994.
Outside Vietnam projects are also being undertaken to examine certain key aspects of Vietnamese history and economy (e.g., the Australia-Vietnam Research Project; the village project sponsored by the EFEO). The Toyota Foundation proposed a key theme for attracting researchers for Asia as a whole with the title 'Creating a Society with Pluralistic Values' (April 1994). This could also apply to Vietnam.
Given the general interest in these topics, we think the main theme chosen will be broad enough to encompass the many research projects currently in progress, of which the results can be presented at the Amsterdam conference in 1997. Historians, social scientists, linguists, and economists, to mention just the main categories of the scholars within the network, will easily find a topic or a theme which suits their interest. Other ideas for sub-themes are welcomed.
A programme committee has been organized composed of members from the Netherlands and from Belgium. The programme committee can be of some help putting potential panellists in touch with each other. We prefer complete panels, but will consider individual paper proposals. The committee reserves the right to determine which papers are accepted and may create panels from individual submissions or papers that were on panels that were not accepted.
First applications and addresses (including Email addresses) can be sent to the IIAS secretariat.

For further information please contact the convenor:
Dr John Kleinen
University of Amsterdam
Asia Anthropological Committee of the Anthropological Institute
Centre for Asian Studies Amsterdam (CASA)
O.Z. Achterburgwal 185
1012 DK Amsterdam
Tel: +31-20-525 2742 / 2504
Fax: +31-20-525 3010
Email: jgk@sara.nl

Dr Kleinen acts as convener for the Euroviet Conference 1997.