Shawn McHale
Research Interests: Southeast Asia; Vietnam; Imperialism and Colonialism; Vietnamese Buddhism; & Violence
Violence, Peace, and Vietnamese Engagements With 'Original' Buddhism in Asia, 1900-1989
This project looks at three interlinked topics. First, it examines the broad reorientation of some Vietnamese Buddhists during the twentieth century away from both Chinese Buddhist texts as well as highly localized beliefs and practices towards what they conceived of as a search for a purer "original Buddhism" with roots in South Asia. Second, it focuses on one example of this “turn to origins”by examining how Vietnamese engagement with Cambodia and Cambodian Buddhism from the 19th century until 1989 acted as a major catalyst for change. Third, my analysis addresses a seeming paradox: how did Khmer and Vietnamese engage in deep intercultural exchanges in the religious sphere, but also engage in extensive violence? And how does Buddhism fit into this story? This topic has implications for understanding more precisely the social role of religious belief in preserving peace or worsening conflict in the world.
Shawn McHale is Professor of History, George Washington University (Washington, DC, USA). He received his doctorate from Cornell University (USA) in Southeast Asian history. He has authored two books on modern Vietnamese cultural and political history under French colonial rule. The recipient of numerous fellowships, his current research focuses on the Vietnamese search for "original Buddhism" in Asia in times of peace and war, 1900-1989.
Professor McHale looks forward to collaborating with colleagues at the University of Lyon and elsewhere in France.