Adrienne Minh-Châu Lê

Buddhist monks, nuns, and students shook the foundation of the nascent Republic of Vietnam (RVN) in the 1960s with mass protests and demands for religious freedom, democracy, and an end to the war. Although the Buddhist movement was the largest and most organized dissident movement in South Vietnam, historians have yet to understand the ideals and national vision that drove it, or the extent of its impact on Vietnamese and global politics. This dissertation furthers our understanding of postcolonial nation-building through an examination of the 20th century Vietnamese Buddhist movement – from the Buddhist revival during the French colonial era, through the political turmoil of the 1960s, until the end of the war and reunification in 1975. Rather than telling a black-and-white history of the struggle between communism and anti-
communism, as much of the existing Vietnam War scholarship does, this dissertation highlights a civilian-led vision of nation-building that called for civil liberties, democracy, and reconciliation rather than total victory in war. By focusing on non-state actors, it asserts the agency of ordinary Vietnamese people and the significance of dissident protests and religious movements at the frontlines of postcolonial Vietnam and the global Cold War.