The workshop was attended by leaders of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, the Institute of Literature, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and many scientists and research experts from many major universities across the country.
In particular, the conference attracted the attention and direct participation of 23 scholars from the United States, China, India, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Southeast Asian countries.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Minh - Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, said that Southeast Asia is currently an important region in terms of economy, politics, defense, security and culture. This is also a place where many different cultures converge, exchange and localize. In Vietnam, the theory of comparative literature has only received attention in recent decades. Along with the integration process, the study of Southeast Asian culture and literature has also been promoted in Vietnam. In this trend, the research and teaching of Southeast Asian literature requires appropriate shifts in both viewpoints, approaches, theories and practical capabilities.
Vice President of Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences delivered the opening speech at the Workshop
The Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences also expressed hope that the conference would be an opportunity to help scientists find solutions to promote research and
teaching literaturecomparison in Vietnam. Through this, an annual academic forum on Southeast Asian comparative literature is formed to update topics, approaches and share new experiences for this scientific discipline in the region.
According to Dr. Tran Thien Khanh - Deputy Director of the Institute of Literature, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Conference, shared: Southeast Asia has not been present in the historical works of developing the subject of literature in the world. The absence of Southeast Asian literature in comparative literature research has been noticed by many scientists and academic units in the world, however, most of this deficiency is discussed by Western literature researchers. Practicing comparative literature will help us not only understand our national literature more deeply but also broaden our vision of literature in other regions, promoting the discovery, evaluation and explanation of the connections between literatures and cultures in the context of promoting exchange and integration.
Representing the co-organizer, Associate Professor Dr. Dao Thanh Truong, Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, emphasized: Southeast Asia is a separate geographical, historical, cultural and political region. The literature of Southeast Asian countries always expresses the characteristics of national and cultural identity of each country in the process of common movement, in the cultural and political interactions of the region. However, this part of literature has not yet occupied a significant position in the picture of world literature.
The conference “Southeast Asian Comparative Literature: History, Theory, and Practice” is truly a prestigious academic event, creating connections between domestic and foreign scholars who share the same interest in Southeast Asian comparative literature. The conference is an opportunity for us to propose new approaches in comparative literature science when deepening the interaction between Vietnamese, Southeast Asian and world literatures in the context of international integration. Also in this international conference, we will have the opportunity to approach Southeast Asian literary works, especially modern and contemporary works in comparison, referencing each other to discuss issues of ethnicity, culture, society, and history of Southeast Asia from the perspective of modern theories. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities is a unit with a tradition of nearly 80 years in training and researching majors in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities. The Faculty of Literature is also one of the first three faculties of the University, where many leading politicians, scholars and literary researchers of Vietnam studied, researched and grew up. In the coming time, we are always ready to connect and cooperate with domestic and foreign units to organize academic exchange activities, seminars and scientific conferences on Vietnamese and other countries' literature.
Vice Principal Dao Thanh Truong speaks at the Workshop
The workshop was conducted in 01 day, including the Plenary Session and ten sub-committees, with 73 presentations in both English and Vietnamese, many interesting scientific ideas about Southeast Asian literature in mutual reflection and reference with other literatures in the world were presented, shared and discussed. The reports of researchers at the workshop clarified a number of key issues such as: The Southeast Asian context of literary creation and interpretation in countries, the process of constructing national-ethnic values, the formation of the concept of nation and the expression of national ideas in each literature in the relationship between the literatures of the region. National characteristics and universality of Southeast Asian literature or indigenous nature of Southeast Asian literatures and the relationship and connection model between them. The process of classicizing literary works in different countries and the introduction of theories into the literatures here changes the frameworks of knowledge about literature, from that perspective revealing new aspects of literature in each country in the region.
Exploiting comparative aspects through case studies, domestic and foreign researchers have presented visions of the open possibilities of comparative literary theory, promoting random comparisons in the light of interdisciplinary and inter/trans-regional perspectives.
Delegates presented reports at the Workshop
Within the framework of the Workshop, leaders of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, the Institute of Literature, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities had a meeting and exchange with international delegates attending the Workshop.
The conference is expected to become an important milestone in the development of comparative literature in general and Southeast Asian comparative literature in particular. In the spirit of open and frank exchange of scientists participating in the conference, a number of issues on methodology and comparative literature theory will be clarified through the analysis of the context, practice, history and literary life of Southeast Asian countries.
Delegates attending the workshop took a souvenir photo
