The War That Won't End: Vietnam, Media, and the Crises of Our Time

On the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, this lecture revisits the conflict through the lens of contemporary crises in democracy, media, and historical memory. Rather than offering a narrative of the war itself, it examines why its meaning remains fiercely contested, and how mass media—past and present—shapes both political events and our capacity to remember them. Centering a South Vietnamese perspective that is often marginalized in dominant accounts, the talk challenges enduring myths of nationalism and revolution and situates the war within broader histories of capitalist modernity, nation state formation, and mass displacement. In doing so, it connects the Vietnam War to pressing issues that resonate today, including digital disinformation, democratic erosion, climate crisis, and environmental catastrophe.

Prof. Duy Lap Nguyen, University of Houston, Professor of World Cultures and Literature; author of “The Unimagined Community: Imperialism and Culture in South Vietnam” (guest lecturer)