Contesting Indochina French Remembrance Between Decolonization and Cold War |
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Author:
| Edwards, M. Kathryn |
Series title: | From Indochina to Vietnam: Revolution and War in a Global Perspective Ser. |
ISBN: | 978-0-520-28861-4 |
Publication Date: | Jun 2016 |
Publisher: | University of California Press
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Book Format: | Paperback |
List Price: | USD $34.95 |
Book Description:
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How does a nation come to terms with losing a war--especially an overseas war whose purpose is fervently contested? In the years after the war, how does such a nation construct and reconstruct its identity and values? For the French in Indochina, the stunning defeat at Dien Bien Phu ushered in the violent process of decolonization and a fraught reckoning with a colonial past.
Contesting Indochina is the first in-depth study of the competing and intertwined narratives of the...
More DescriptionHow does a nation come to terms with losing a war--especially an overseas war whose purpose is fervently contested? In the years after the war, how does such a nation construct and reconstruct its identity and values? For the French in Indochina, the stunning defeat at Dien Bien Phu ushered in the violent process of decolonization and a fraught reckoning with a colonial past. Contesting Indochina is the first in-depth study of the competing and intertwined narratives of the Indochina War. It analyzes the layers of French remembrance, focusing on state-sponsored commemoration, veterans' associations, special-interest groups, intellectuals, films, and heated public disputes. These narratives constitute the ideological battleground for contesting the legacies of colonialism, decolonization, the Cold War, and France's changing global status.