Arts & Contemporary Studies
ACS student Stephanie Perrin publishes an article in a prestigious undergraduate history journal
May 02, 2011
An essay by Stephanie Perrin, a fourth-year student in Arts and Contemporary Studies, has been accepted for publication in History Matters, an undergraduate journal run by Appalachian State University
(http://www.historymatters.appstate.edu).
The article, “Visions of Vietnam: The Nationalism of the Cao Dai Religious Sect and Mass Movement,” appears in the May 2011 edition of the journal, and is based on an essay she wrote in the Fall 2010 term in a new Department of History course, Southeast Asia: War and Peace Since 1945, taught by Dr. Arne Kislenko.
Stephanie’s article explores the important role of the Caodai religious movement in the development of Vietnamese independence. Following the transformation of the movement from an eccentric sect to a considerable political force, the Caodai demonstrated the cultural adaptability of the Vietnamese people. The unique religious identity unified the peasantry and elite, and allowed them to assert nationalist resistance on a mass scale for the first time in Vietnam’s history. Amidst colonial rule, war, political instability and, ultimately, the triumph of Communism, the Caodai demonstrated the possibility of utilizing religion as an adaptable framework for an enduring national identity. Exploration of the Caodai movement is valuable as it is representative of the diversity and complications of Vietnamese nationalism, which scholars so often approach in a limited way through focusing on particular figures and political frameworks.
Stephanie Perrin has received many academic honours at Ryerson and is engaged in numerous extracurricular activities. She is co-editor of The Continuist arts magazine and one of the leaders of the Ryerson Alternative Spring Break international development student group. This spring she is helping lead a team of Ryerson students working with orphaned and under-privileged children in Vietnam. Stephanie’s interest in communications and stories of all forms has led her to focus her studies in English, Philosophy, and History. She is looking forward to attending graduate school after completing her Bachelor of Arts degree in the Fall of 2011.
For more information contact Dr. Arne Kislenko, Department of History, at akislenk@ryerson.ca.
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