December 14th: Workshop "Digital Anthropology in Vietnam: Trends, Potential and Prospects"

Workshop content:We have arrived at a critical juncture in anthropology, marked by the digital integration of the 21st century. Permeating every aspect of life, the combination of mobile computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) has created a multi-layered interface between individuals and the world. We can no longer maintain anthropological perspectives derived from previous eras. The intermediary in ethnography has reverted to the subject: the individual. Since the masterpiece *Writing Culture*, anthropologists have called for a more empowering and collaborative ethnographic approach. Decolonizing methodologists have advocated for more inclusive and empowering practices, as well as more socially oriented works. And digital anthropology has embraced diverse possibilities as we apply digital tools and methodologies to create more inclusive, participatory, and empowering community projects. An anthropology relevant to our time should be collaborative, dynamic, bottom-up, and empowering; “subjects” must transform into participants or more. The 21st-century “anthropological subjects” can no longer be confined to the subjective classifications created by colonial projects.

Vietnam is one of the most strongly connected countries in Southeast Asia in terms of digital space. Vietnamese users in the digital age are also among the most prolific content creators, whether individually or as members of numerous online "communities." Has digital anthropology in Vietnam, as a subfield within anthropology in general, kept pace with this digital development? Does Vietnamese anthropology possess the technical skills and capabilities to illustrate life using ethnographic methods in the 4.0 era? If we view digital inclusion, in a broad sense, as a fundamental shift in the tripartite relationship between the researcher, the research area, and the research subject, then we must acknowledge that we have reached a historical juncture with the emergence of new opportunities that can radically change our mode of understanding. Perhaps we should ask a more reflective question: Has anthropology in Vietnam transformed itself during the Digital Revolution, where intense exchange permeates every corner of Vietnam?