DHIS 22A08 - A History of the Indochina Wars (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) 1940-1991

Very few areas have been at war for as long as the Southeast Asian peninsula in the past centuries. Even fewer can claim to be the place where several major military powers were defeated (France, Japan, China, Cambodia and of course the United States). Yet these victories came at horrendous prices, millions of dead and wounded through famines, war devastations and mass murders. For half a century, the countries of Cambodia, Laos and Viêt Nam experienced various forms of warfare and violent social turmoil, from late colonial conquest to wars of national liberation, from attempts at creating viable democracies to massive social purges. This course is an introduction to the history of the three Indochina wars and to their dynamics. It will focus on the French colonial period, to move to the First (1945-1954), the Second (1954-1975) and Third (1978-1992) Indochina War. Emphasis will be put on Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese perspectives and their visions of the conflicts they were involved in. International relations, French, Chinese and US foreign policy will only be secondary in this class. The instructor will also present a significant part of his own ongoing research to the students and will share with them reflections that emerged from a six-year stay in Viêt Nam.

Main themes will be : colonialism and birth of nationalism; imperial politics and colonizers’ reactions ; Communisms; anticolonial struggle; new types of warfare; Cold War dynamics in South East Asia.

At the end of the course, the student is expected to : 1°) Have a better knowledge of Peninsular South East Asian History 2°) Develop their learning skills through lectures

To validate the course, the student is expected to pass the following assignments:

1°) Participation grade (10% of the final grade)

2°) Midterm exam: (40% of the final grade)

The mid-term exam will be a home assignment in the form of a written essay or dissertation. The student will be expected to show their own reflections upon class contents and their own capacity to connect the various themes examined in the lectures. Please note that the final exam will be of the same format.

3°) Final Exam : At-home dissertation assignment given at least 3 weeks before the end of the semester (50% of the final grade)