Thao, Cong Nguyen

 

 

Department of Anthropology, 2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, United States

Phone (808) 944-6489

Email tcnguyen@hawaii.edu

 

 

EDUCATION

 

EXPECTED

           

M.A.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B.A.

University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005

Anthropology

Expected M.A. Defense: Apirl 2005

Thesis Title: “Ethnic Identity and Its manifestation in Agricultural Production”

Thesis Advisors: Drs. Bion Griffin (Chair), Les Sponsel, Jefferson Fox

 

Vietnam National University Hanoi

Ethnology

Honors Thesis Advisor: Dr. Giao, Le Si

 

 

 

 

ACADEMIC INTEREST AND CURRENT RESEARCH

I am interested in acculturation process among different Ethnic Groups. Since no nation in the world is a homogenous community in terms of ethnicity and culture, getting more and more understanding of the interrelationship among different groups is very important, not only for policy makers but also scientists. Reciprocal relations that various groups share when they live together in a same society take role in determining the structure and basically manifest the feature of that society.

I am currently researching the adaptation of Vietnamese people (as a majority group in Vietnam) when they move into highland areas from lowland wet rice paddies deltas, and how indigenous groups accept the appearance of Vietnamese people in their regions.

Specifically, I am working on my project that comparatively studies agricultural productions of Vietnamese and Tai people in Northwestern Vietnam. In national level, the later is one ethnic minority in the country, while they are the majority group in the area of study, and the first vice versa. In this project, I try to find out how ethnic cultural identities of the Vietnamese and the Tai take role in the way they adapt to new ecological environment (in case of the Vietnamese), to new way of production (in case of the Tai). This is the project for my MA thesis.

AREAS OF INTERES

North Mountain and Central Highland Region, Vietnam, Southern China, Southeast Asia. Poverty, deforestation, population growth and marginalization are the burning problems in Southeast Asia and Southern China. These are also the area where there are great cultural diversities that was compared as a cultural mosaic.

FUTURE PLAN

November:  Participate an international conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and another international conference in Hanoi, Vietnam

Finish my MA thesis

I will finish my MA next summer at the Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaii at Manoa. I am looking for a Ph.D. scholarship at a university in the United States, or in England.

Work more on my current project, and expand the area of study northward to South China and southward to Vietnam Central Highland.

 

___________PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND FIELD WORK_________________________

January, 2004

June  and July, 2004

 

Fieldwork in Dien Bien District, Dien Bien Phu City, Northwestern Vietnam

July and August, 2002

About a Market day of Viet People in a  suburban District of Hanoi City, Independent Research

November, 2001

 

The Adaptation of The Kinh in Ha Giang Province, Northeastern Vietnam, conducted with the collaboration with an Sweddish Anthropologist,

March, 2001

 

The exchange Relationships between the Kinh and Ethnic Minorities in Muong Phang Commune, Dien Bien District, Lai Chau province, conducted with the collaboration with Ta Long and Ngo Thi Chinh

January, 2001

 

The Adaptation of The Kinh in Ha Giang Province, conducted with the collaboration with an Swedish Anthropologist

August, 2000

 

The Exchange Relationships between the Viet and Ethnic Minorities in Noong Luong Commune, Dien Bien District, Lai Chau Province, Vietnam

May, 2000

 

The social, cultural, and economic activities of Raglai and Cham People in Ninh Thuan Province, Staff member of a research Team Institute of Anthropology

December, 1999

 

Exchange Relationships between the Viet and Ethnic Minorities in Noong Luong Commune, Dien Bien District, Lai Chau Province.

August, 1999

 

The social, cultural, and economic activities of Muong, Tho, and Thai People in Thanh Hoa Province, Staff member of a research Team, held by the Institute of Anthropology,

June, 1999

 

The traditional economic activities of Viet People in Some Villages in Red River Basin Area, Conducted with the collaboration with Shiroyama Ai, an Japanese Anthropologist, from Kyushu University,

March, 1999

The Viet People in Muti- Ethnic Society in Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province,.

 

June, 1998

The traditional social organizations of Thai People in Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province,

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

July, 2003

 

 

 

 

The Garo People in Bangladesh, Anthropological Review, Institute of Anthropology, Vietnam Academic of Social Sciences

 

 

July and August, 2002

About a Market day of Viet People in a  suburban District of Hanoi City

 

August, 2000

The Exchange Relationships between the Viet and Ethnic Minorities in Noong Luong Commune, Dien Bien District, Lai Chau Province, Vietnam

 

December, 1999

Exchange Relationships between the Viet and Ethnic Minorities in Noong Luong Commune, Dien Bien District, Lai Chau Province

 

March, 1999

The Viet People in Muti- Ethnic Society in Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province

 

June, 1998

The traditional social organizations of Thai People in Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province,

 

AWARD

2003-2005- M.A. scholarship at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, sponsored by Ford Foundation

 

MEMBERSHIPS OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

 

 

Affiliate of East West Center, Honolulu, HI

Vietnam Association of Anthropology

 

 

 

 

CURRENT POSITION IN VIETNAM

Researcher, Institute of Anthropology

Vietnam Academic of Social Sciences

 

 DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

 

 

Junior Researcher. Conduct fieldwork to study social, cultural, economic issues concerning the relationships between the Viet Ethnic and other Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam.

 

 

REFERENCES”

 

 Khong Dien, Professor

Director, Institute of Anthropology, Vietnam Academic Of Social Sciences, 27 Tran Xuan Soan, Hanoi, Vietnam

Email: khongdiendth@hn.vnn.vn

 Pham Quang Hoan, Professor

Deputy Director, Institute of Anthropology, Vietnam Academic Of Social Sciences, 27 Tran Xuan Soan, Hanoi, Vietnam

Email: khongdiendth@hn.vnn.vn

 

Bion Griffin, Professor

Associate Dean, College of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Email: griffin@hawaii.edu

Les Sponsel, Professor

Director, Ecological Anthropology Program, Department of Anthropology

Email sponsel@hawaii.edu