- Biography
- Teaching
- Research and Creative Activity
- Grants
- Honors and Awards
- Service
Education
Ph.D., History, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley CA
M.A., History, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley CA
B.A., Political Science/History (Dual Degree), Northwestern University Evanston IL
| Semester | Course Prefix | Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2023 | HIS | 4900 | Capstone: Search His |
| Spring 2023 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2022 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2022 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2022 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2022 | HIS | 4900 | Capstone: Search His |
| Fall 2021 | HIS | 3781 | History of Modern Southeast As |
| Fall 2021 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2021 | AAS | 3781 | History of Modern Southeast As |
| Spring 2021 | HIS | 4900 | Capstone: Search His |
| Fall 2020 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2020 | HIS | 3780 | Vietnam at War |
| Fall 2020 | AAS | 3780 | Vietnam at War |
| Spring 2020 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2020 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2020 | HIS | 4900 | Capstone: Search His |
| Fall 2019 | HIS | 3860 | Top:Afr,Asia,Lat Am |
| Fall 2019 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2019 | AAS | 3085 | Top In Asian & Asian Ameri Stu |
| Spring 2019 | HIS | 4900 | Capstone: Search His |
| Spring 2018 | HIS | 3860 | Top:Afr,Asia,Lat Am |
| Spring 2018 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2017 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2017 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2017 | HIS | 4900 | Capstone: Search His |
| Spring 2017 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2017 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2016 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2015 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2015 | IDC | 4050H | Hon Feit Hum Sem I |
| Spring 2015 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2014 | AAS | 3085 | Top In Asian & Asian Ameri Stu |
| Fall 2014 | HIS | 3860 | Top:Afr,Asia,Lat Am |
| Fall 2014 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2014 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2014 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2014 | HIS | 3860 | Top:Afr,Asia,Lat Am |
| Spring 2014 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Spring 2014 | AAS | 3085 | Top In Asian & Asian Ameri Stu |
| Fall 2013 | AAS | 3085 | Top In Asian & Asian Ameri Stu |
| Fall 2013 | HIS | 1003 | Global His Since1500 |
| Fall 2013 | HIS | 3852 | Mdn & Westn In Asia |
Books
Nguyen, M. (2021). On Our Own Strength: The Self-Reliant Literary Group and Cosmopolitan Nationalism in Late Colonial Vietnam. Honolulu, HI, University of Hawaii Press.
Journal Articles
Nguyen, M. (2020). Hanoi at Night: Prostitution and Economic Anxiety in Late Colonial Vietnam. In Progress.
Nguyen, M. (2016). French Colonial State, Vietnamese Civil Society: The League of Light [-oàn Ánh Sáng] and Housing Reform in Hanoi, 1937-1941. Journal of Vietnamese Studies, 11(3-4). 17-57.
Nguyen, M. (2016). Wearing Modernity: Lemur Nguy¿n Cát Tu¿ng, Fashion, and the Origins of the Vietnamese National Costume. Journal of Vietnamese Studies, 11(1). 76-128.
Nguyen, M. T., & Leshkowich, A. Artful Decoloniality: The Politics of Fashion as Art in 20th and 21st Century Vietnam. Fashion Theory,
Book Chapters
Nguyen, M. (2022). Interwar Vietnamese Nationalism. In Miller, E., & Nguyen, L. T. (Eds.), Cambridge History of the Vietnam War In Progress.
Nguyen, M. (2020). Nhà nu¿c thu¿c d¿a Pháp, Xã H¿i Vi¿t Nam: Liên doàn Ánh sáng [-oàn Ánh Sáng] và C¿i cách nhà ¿ t¿i Hà N¿i, 1937-1941. In Duong, Ð. Á. (Ed.), Phong Hoá Th¿i Hi¿n -¿i: T¿ l¿c Van doàn trong tình th¿ thu¿c d¿a ¿ Vi¿t Nam d¿u th¿ k¿ XX Hanoi,Vietnam. Nhà Xu¿t B¿n H¿i Nhà Van.
Nguyen, M. (2020). The Self-Reliant Literary Group, Colonial Republicanism and the Politics of the Center-Left.. Studying Republican Vietnam: Issues, Challenges and Prospects Honolulu, HI. University of Hawaii Press.
Presentations
Nguyen, M. T. Book Talk and Workshop: On Our Own Strength: The Self-Reliant Literary Group and Cosmopolitan Nationalism in Late Colonial Vietnam. : Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University.
Nguyen, M. (2021, March 12). Book Talk: On Our Own Strength: The Self-Reliant Literary Group and Cosmopolitan Nationalism in Late Colonial Vietnam. Friday Forum Lecture Series. University of Wisconsin, Madison: Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
Nguyen, M. (2021, January 14). Is Fashion an Art or a Business?. : The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre, Ho Chi Minh City.
Nguyen, M. (2021, April 8). Book Talk: On Our Own Strength: The Self-Reliant Literary Group and Cosmopolitan Nationalism in Late Colonial Vietnam. Book Conversation. : New York Southeast Asia Network.
Nguyen, M. (2020, March 21). The -¿i Nay Publishing House: Reforming the Book Industry in Late Colonial Vietnam. Annual Meeting of the Association of Asian Studies. Boston, MA: Association of Asian Studies.
Nguyen, M. (2019, February 22). Discussant: Imperialism and State-building from the 19th to 20th Centuries. Vietnam and China in the Longue Durée. Columbia University, New York City: Columbia University, Weatherhead East Asian Studies Institute.
Nguyen, M. (2019, October 14). The Self-Reliant Literary Group, Colonial Republicanism and the Politics of the Center-Left. Studying Republican Vietnam. University of Oregon: Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, University of Oregon.
Nguyen, M. (2019, February 14). The Self-Reliant Literary Group and Cosmopolitan Nationalism in Late Colonial Vietnam. Columbia University, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.
Nguyen, M. (2016, March 9). Wearing Modernity: the Press, Fashion, and the "Origins" of the Vietnamese National Costume, 1932-1937. Yale University, Center of Southeast Asian Studies Lecture Series. : Yale University, Center of Southeast Asian Studies.
Nguyen, M. (2016, March 7). Urban Humor in Colonial Hanoi. Contemplating the Rise of Asian Cities. Yale University: Yale University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
Nguyen, M. (2016, March 30). Hanoi at Night: the Press and Sexual Mores in Late Colonial Vietnam. Annual Meeting of the Association of Asian Studies. Seattle, WA
Nguyen, M. (2015, August 11). Colonial Modernism in Vietnam: the Self-Reliant Literary Group (T¿ L¿c Van -oàn) and Intellectual Responses to French Rule, 1932-1941. EuroSEAS 2015. Vienna, Austria: Austrian Academy of Sciences, University of Vienna.
Nguyen, M. (2015, April 25). Urban Intellectuals and their Vision of a Modern Vietnamese State, 1932-1945. Workshop on the State in Vietnam. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
Nguyen, M. (2014, March 27). The French Section of the Workers’ International (SFIO) and Franco-Vietnamese Cooperation in Late Colonial Tonkin. Annual Meeting of the Association of Asian Studies. Philadelphia, PA: Association of Asian Studies.
Nguyen, M. (2014, September 19). Pen Wars, the Vernacular Press, and the Nature of Intellectual Debate in Late Colonial Vietnam. Asia Transforming: Old Values and New Presences. Hofstra University, NY: Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies (MAR-AAS) and Hofstra Cultural Center.
Nguyen, M. (2011, November 11). Reform vs. Revolution: the Self-Reliant Literary Group, Colonial Republicanism, and the Politics of the Center Left in 1930s Hanoi. Workshop on Revolution in Vietnam. Berkeley, CA: Center of Southeast Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley.
Nguyen, M. (2011, June 29). . The Power of Asia: Democracy or Prosperity?. London Stock Exchange, London: BBC World Service.
Nguyen, M. (2010, March 25). Revolutionary Politics and the Intellectual Career of Nguy¿n M¿nh Tu¿ng. Annual Meeting of the Association of Asian Studies. Philadelphia, PA: Association of Asian Studies.
Nguyen, M. (2010, March 25). Who’s who: Rethinking Marginal Intellectuals in Late Colonial Vietnam. Annual Meeting of the Association of Asian Studies. Philadelphia, PA: Association of Asian Studies.
Nguyen, M. (2008, January 28). Wearing Modernity: Lemur Nguy¿n Cát Tu¿ng, the Press and Fashion in Late Colonial Vietnam. Vietnam Studies Graduate Summer Program. Canberra, Australia: Australian National University.
Nguyen, M. (2008, June 6). Ngày X¿a Ngày Xua: Children’s Literature, Ideology, and the Self-Reliant Literary Group, 1939-1945. Sixth Euroviet Conference. Hamburg, Germany: Asien Afrika Institut, University of Hamburg.
Nguyen, M. (2008, February 21). Wearing Modernity: Lemur Nguy¿n Cát Tu¿ng, the Press and Fashion in Late Colonial Vietnam. Guest Lecture Series. London, UK: SOAS, University of London.
Nguyen, M. (2007, May 14). Wearing Modernity: Lemur Nguy¿n Cát Tu¿ng, the Press and Fashion in Late Colonial Vietnam. Les Identités Corporelles au Vietnam d’Hier à Aujourdhui: Métamorphoses et Diversité. Lyon, France: École Normale Supérieure.
Nguyen, M. (2004, April 9). Lý Toét: Caricature as a Forum on Tradition and Modernity in Late Colonial Vietnam, 1932-194. Novels and Newspapers in Southeast Asia: Instruments of Modernity. Berkeley, CA: Center of Southeast Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley.
Nguyen, M. (2003, October 24). The Dragon Lady: Representations of Madame Ngô -ình Nhu in the American Press, 1954-1963. The Rise and Fall of Ngo Dinh Diem, Its Implications for the United States and for Vietnam. Lubbock, Texas: Vietnam Center, Texas Tech University.
Other Scholarly Works
Nguyen, M. (2012). In Search of the Self-Reliant Literary Group (Tôi tim lai Tu¿ luc van doan). 1737 words in Vietnamese.
Nguyen, M. (2011). Why Are Some Americans Obsessed with the British Royal Family? (Ngu¿i M¿ nghi gì v¿ Hoàng gia Anh?). 1976 words in Vietnamese.
Nguyen, M. (2011). Gender Equality in Vietnam: Beyond the UN’s Millenium Development Goals ('S¿ v¿' không ph¿i là bình d¿ng gi¿i). 1454 words in Vietnamese.
Reviews
Nguyen, M. (2020,October 1). Review of "Down and Out in Saigon: Stories of the Poor in a Colonial City" by Haydon Leslie Cherry. Norfolk, MA: Journal of Interdisciplinary History.
Nguyen, M. (2014,October 1). Review of "Finding the Dragon Lady: The Mystery of Vietnam's Madame Nhu" by Monique Brinson Demery. Berkeley, CA : Journal of Vietnamese Studies.
Nguyen, M. (2013,August 1). Review of "The Birth of Vietnamese Journalism: Saigon 1916-1930" by Philippe M. F. Peycam. USA: Journal of Asian Studies.
Nguyen, M. (2008,February 1). Review of "The Industry of Marrying Europeans" by Vu Tr¿ng Ph¿ng, translated by Thuy Tranviet. Berkeley, CA,USA: Journal of Vietnamese Studies.
Research Currently in Progess
Nguyen, M.(n.d.). From the Piastre to the -¿ng: The Bank of Indochina in Revolution and Decolonization, 1945-1954. In Progress.
Second book project currently in progress. This research project will trace the evolution of a single financial institution—the Bank of Indochina—as it transformed from a colonial to a national bank, against the backdrop of political and social upheaval in what is now modern-day Vietnam. The study begins with the Vietnamese declaration of independence and the subsequent August Revolution in 1945 and ends with the defeat of France and the establishment of an independent Vietnam in 1954. I am interested in the practical aspects of transferring sovereignty from one government to another, in this case from colonial domination to nation-statehood. This project focuses on perhaps the most visible and quotidian symbol of national sovereignty –paper money and coins. I will examine the debates within the fledgling Vietnamese revolutionary government over the new national currency, and how these debates reflected a larger vision of a decolonized and restructured national economy. This vision was further complicated by the fact that the young postcolonial government was led by the Vietnamese Communist Party, whose very ideology was at odds with the political and economic interests of a national bank. I look at the institutional decisions made by Vietnamese communist leaders and examine how the bank’s personnel, administration, and organizational structures mirrored tensions within the emerging postcolonial Vietnamese nation-state.
Nguyen, M.(n.d.). The Central Intelligence Office and Urban Counterinsurgency and Counterintelligence in South Vietnam, 1968-1975. In Progress.
Third book project currently in development. My father’s illness and eventual death in April 2018 has inspired me to explore the topic of history and memory in the Vietnam War. I learned at my father’s funeral that he served in the South Vietnamese Central Intelligence Organization (CIO). He was part of a classified covert unit under the direct command of the South Vietnamese president which focused on counterintelligence and counterinsurgency in the cities. My father’s involvement with the CIO was a secret he kept from his entire family, including my mother. This project will combine archival research with my father’s personal diaries and interviews with surviving CIO agents to examine the role of the South Vietnamese intelligence community and how it shaped Saigon’s decision-making process during the war. This work will coincide with new scholarship on the war that focuses on “third way” (non-state and/or non-leadership) actors and their role in the Vietnam War.
Nguyen, M.(n.d.). The French Section of the Workers’ International (SFIO) and Franco-Vietnamese Cooperation in Late Colonial Tonkin. In Progress.
I am currently waiting to submit a research article to a special issue of the journal French History (published by Oxford University Press) dedicated to the topic of French socialism. This article focuses on Vietnamese participation in the Socialist party and how ideology held less sway over Vietnamese loyalties than local networks of clientelism. The editors of the special issue keep pushing the deadline of submission forward because they are waiting on other contributors. The current date of submission is April 2021. In case the special issue falls through, I will submit the article as a standalone piece.
Nguyen, M.(n.d.). The Modern Man and Woman: Constructing Sexual Difference and Patriarchy in Late Colonial Vietnam. In Progress.
Fourth book project currently in development. This project focuses on the “modern woman” [th¿ tân or ph¿ n¿ moi], one the most prevalent and controversial topics of public discourse in colonial Vietnam. I will examine women’s magazines, the male-dominated public sphere, and archival materials to explore the process of redefining gender identity in the wake of Vietnamese encounters with colonial modernity. Through the lens of the “modern woman,” I intend to shed light onto the construction of heterosexual masculine identities and anxieties as well.
| Title | Funding Agency Sponsor | Start Date | End Date | Awarded Date | Total Funding | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From the Piastre to the Ðong: The Bank of Indochina in Revolution and Decolonization, 1945-1954 | PSC-CUNY 51 | 07/01/2020 | 12/31/2022 | 04/17/2020 | 3500 | Completed |
| Colonial Modernism in Vietnam: the Self-Reliant Literary Group (Tu Luc Van Doan) and Intellectual Responses to French Rule, 1932-1945 | PSC-CUNY 47 | 07/01/2016 | 06/30/2017 | 04/15/2016 | 3500 | Completed |
| Colonial Modernism in Vietnam: the Self-Reliant Literary Group (Tu Luc Van Doan) and Intellectual Responses to French Rule, 1932-1945 | PSC-CUNY 46 | 07/01/2015 | 06/30/2016 | 04/17/2015 | 6000 | Completed |
| The Modern Woman and Man: Constructing Sexual Difference and Patriarchy in Late Colonial Vietnam | PSC-CUNY 54 | 07/01/2023 | 06/30/2024 | 04/18/2023 | 6000 | Funded - In Progress |
| From the Piastre to the Dong: The Bank of Indochina in Revolution and Decolonization, 1945-1954 | Eugene Lang Fellowship | 06/01/2020 | 12/31/2021 | 05/17/2020 | 7805.41 | Funded - In Progress |
| SUNY/CUNY Southeast Asia Consortium (SEAC) | Henry Luce Foundation | 06/01/2023 | 05/31/2026 | 14003 | Submitted for Review |
| Honor / Award | Organization Sponsor | Date Received | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidential Award for Distinguished Teaching (Nominated) | Baruch College | 2020 | Nominated for the Presidential Award for Distinguished Teaching, Spring 2020 |
| First Book Prize | Weatherhead East Asia Institute, Columbia University | 2019 | Each year, the publications committee of the Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute presents an award to the most promising first-time author(s) from among the list of titles under contract. |
| Graduate Student Prize | Vietnam Scholars Group | 2008 | National award for best original research by a grad student on Vietnam. Paper title: “Wearing Modernity: Lemur Nguy¿n Cát Tu¿ng, the Press, and Fashion in Late Colonial Vietnam.” |
College
| Committee Name | Position Role | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| History Department Curriculum Committee | Committee Member | Present | |
| History Department Search, African-American History | Committee Member | 5/31/2022 | |
| Search Committee, Chief Diversity Officer | Committee Member | 4/30/2021 | |
| Panel Discussion on Tenure and Promotion | Panel member | 3/18/2021 | |
| Friedman Seminar | Friedman Professor | 6/30/2018 | |
| History Department Self-Study Report | 3/31/2018 | ||
| History Department Search, Islamic World | Committee Member | 3/31/2018 | |
| Baruch Global Initiatives | Attendee, Meeting | 8/31/2015 | |
| Baruch College History Club | Faculty Advisor | 6/30/2015 | |
| Baruch Global Initiatives | Vietnam Faculty Delegate | 5/31/2015 | |
| Baruch Global Initiatives | Vietnam Faculty Delegate | 12/31/2014 | |
| History Department Strategic Plan Committee | Committee Member | 2/28/2014 |
Professional
| Organization | Position Role | Organization State | Organization Country | Start Date | End Date | Audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Southeast Asia Network, Public Universities Consortium, Founding Committee | Committee Member | New York | United States | 3/1/2021 | Present | Regional |
| Journal of Vietnamese Studies | Co-editor, Book Reviews | California | United States | 7/1/2023 | Present | International |
| Journal of Vietnamese Studies | Editorial Review Board Member | California | United States | 7/1/2023 | Present | International |
Public
| Organization | Position Role | Organization State | Organization Country | Start Date | End Date | Audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities New York | Scholar Advisor | New York | 6/1/2019 | 9/30/2020 | ||
| Gilder Lehman Institute | Lead Scholar, the Vietnam War | New Jersey | 6/21/2018 |