Phạm Duy Khiêm. A Man Apart

• Published in: Moussons (Marseille) Vol. 24; no. 24; pp. 107 - 126
• Main Author: Emerson, Julia C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Presses Universitaires de Provence 01.12.2014; Université de Provence
• Subjects: ambassador; author; colonial education; Indochina; interculturality; Vietnam; Interculturalité; écrivain; Confucian; Indochina; author; Buddhist; Indochine; interculturality; colonial education; École normale supérieure; Vietnam; ambassadeur; ambassador; Confucianiste; Viêt Nam; Senghor; éducation colonial
• DOI: 10.4000/moussons.3071
• ISSN: 1620-3224

Drawing on contemporary documents, on the recollections of his friends, family and students, on his own words and on his voluminous correspondence, this article explores how Phạm Duy Khiêm, who had thoroughly absorbed and loved French culture, but who nevertheless remained deeply Vietnamese, rooted in Confucian and Buddhist values, saw himself at a time of deep political and cultural polarization. It seeks to answer such questions as: What beliefs and aspirations informed his behavior? How did maintaining the tension between French and Vietnamese cultures sustain him? Did it eventually undermine him, putting him at odds with his times and sometimes with himself? Did his refusal to deny either of the cultures that defined him affect his ability to participate actively in the history of his time?