Social History of South Asians/Muslims in VN

Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 18:19:39 -0400
From: David Del Testa <ddeltest@bucknell.edu>
Reply-To: vsg@u.washington.edu
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: social history of South Asians/Muslims in VN

Dear colleagues,

This is an e-mail of random thoughts building on the inquiries relative to Muslims and South Asians. Please pardon the lack of connectivity. As the threads of discussion have shown, I think inter-ethnic and "inter-racial" relationships and positionings occurred much more frequently and much more importantly in Vietnam than historians have given credit.

Addressing South Asians specificallyŠa very small example with South Asians in mind: the Rouelle family of Nha Trang. Mr. Rouelle, son of the French operator of the Chargeurs reunis, worked for the Nieu Ba Distillery. He was married to a Vietnamese-Indian métisse of local origin but French education. Another example: I have photographs from a private collection of Franco-Vietnamese children playing with South Asian kids in South Vietnam during the 1930s. More minor examples: the reports of the Surete for the Resident superieur de l'Annam for 1936 address attacks by Vietnamese supposedly under the influence of the La Lutte group in Saigon against Hue's "Ali Babas," the catch-all phrase for "Arab" dry goods and fabric sellers. The owners of the private collection of photographs mentioned above said that they always bought their fabric at the "Ali Babas" of the 36 Streets in Hanoi but had Vietnamese do the tailoring. And on and on.

This is where more social history of at least Vietnam during the period of French occupation would prove illuminating and challenge a historiography that has perhaps unconsciously but intentionally distilled Vietnam's massive ethnic diversity out.

Again, random ideas. David Del Testa

David Del Testa, Ph.D. Office tel: 1 (570) 577-3779 Department of History Messages tel: 1 (570) 577-1123
Bucknell University Cell: (805) 427-6429
111 Carnegie Building ddeltest@bucknell.edu
Lewisburg, PA 17837 USA

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	« Return to discusion archieves 2004 Social History of South Asians/Muslims in VN Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 18:19:39 -0400 From: David Del Testa <ddeltest@bucknell.edu> Reply-To: vsg@u.washington.edu To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu> Subject: social history of South Asians/Muslims in VN Dear colleagues, This is an e-mail of random thoughts building on the inquiries relative to Muslims and South Asians. Please pardon the lack of connectivity. As the threads of discussion have shown, I think inter-ethnic and "inter-racial" relationships and positionings occurred much more frequently and much more importantly in Vietnam than historians have given credit. Addressing South Asians specificallyŠa very small example with South Asians in mind: the Rouelle family of Nha Trang. Mr. Rouelle, son of the French operator of the Chargeurs reunis, worked for the Nieu Ba Distillery. He was married to a Vietnamese-Indian métisse of local origin but French education. Another example: I have photographs from a private collection of Franco-Vietnamese children playing with South Asian kids in South Vietnam during the 1930s. More minor examples: the reports of the Surete for the Resident superieur de l'Annam for 1936 address attacks by Vietnamese supposedly under the influence of the La Lutte group in Saigon against Hue's "Ali Babas," the catch-all phrase for "Arab" dry goods and fabric sellers. The owners of the private collection of photographs mentioned above said that they always bought their fabric at the "Ali Babas" of the 36 Streets in Hanoi but had Vietnamese do the tailoring. And on and on. This is where more social history of at least Vietnam during the period of French occupation would prove illuminating and challenge a historiography that has perhaps unconsciously but intentionally distilled Vietnam's massive ethnic diversity out. Again, random ideas. David Del Testa -- David Del Testa, Ph.D. Office tel: 1 (570) 577-3779 Department of History Messages tel: 1 (570) 577-1123 Bucknell University Cell: (805) 427-6429 111 Carnegie Building ddeltest@bucknell.edu Lewisburg, PA 17837 USA Return to top of page