From Cambridge to Vietnam: Teaching and Researching Anthropology in Today's Global World

Attending the presentation were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh (Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities), faculty and staff of the University and the Department of Anthropology, numerous researchers from Vietnam and abroad, as well as undergraduate students, graduate students and doctoral candidates of the Department of Anthropology.

In the first part of her presentation, Professor Susan Bayly shared her experiences in teaching and researching Anthropology at Cambridge University; the shift in approach in global anthropology, from emphasizing macro issues such as social structure or systems to emphasizing human experiences, the voices of the communities being studied, and the close relationship between field research and theory as two inseparable components of anthropological research.

In the second part of the presentation, Professor Susan Bayly shared her personal experiences from her more than fifteen years of research in Vietnam, particularly her interest in fascinating topics of contemporary Vietnam, such as the experiences of intellectual families in Hanoi in Vietnamese history from the August Revolution to the present day and the current societal perception of the concept of "achievement" in Vietnam. Professor Bayly especially emphasized the importance of her long-standing collaborative relationship, and that of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Cambridge in general, with the former Department of Ethnology and the current Department of Anthropology. According to her, although the two countries' anthropological traditions may have some differences in approach, there is one thing they share: a belief in the role of anthropology as a unique science, with a special sensitivity to human experiences and how they adapt to an ever-changing world, and always viewing those experiences with an attitude of sharing, respect, and empathy.

During the discussion, Professor Susan Bayly shared her insights openly with the scientists and students present at the presentation, focusing on issues such as the role of anthropologists in policy planning and advising governments, the relationship between ethnology and anthropology, schools of anthropology, and the connection between social and cultural anthropology, as well as many other interesting issues in world and Vietnamese anthropology today.