Showing posts with label Intercultural. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Intercultural. Show all posts

Aug 23, 2015

IR-One Definition a Day: Indochina Discovery - Annam

Indochina Discovery
Annam (ənăm`, ă`năm)
Historic region (c.58,000 sq mi/150,200 sq km) and former state, in central Vietnam, SE Asia. The capital was Hue. The region extended nearly 800 mi (1,290 km) along the South China Sea between Tonkin on the north and Cochin China on the south. In addition to Hue, the principal cities in the region are Da Nang(the chief seaport), An Nhon, Quang Tri, and Vinh. In 1954, when Vietnam was divided on a line approximating the 17th parallel, Annam went largely to South Vietnam. The ridge of the Annamese Cordillera separated N and central Annam from Laoson the west; the ridge then swung southeastward and ran along the coast of S Annam, which included the plateaus that stretched to the borders of Cambodiaand Cochin China. The narrow coastal plains of N and central Annamwere interrupted by spurs of mountains that almost reached the sea, as at Porte d'Annam, a pass important in Annamese history.
The origins of the Annamese state may be traced to the peoples of the Red River valley in N Vietnam. After more than 2,000 years of contact with the Chinese, they fell under Chinese rule as the result of a Han invasion in 111 B.C. The region, to which the Chinese gave the name Annam ("Pacified South"; a name resented by the people), comprised all of what later became N Annam and Tonkin. Southern Annamwas occupied by the kingdom of the Chams, or Champa, from the late 2d cent. A.D. In 939 the Annamese drove out the Chinese and established their independence, which they maintained, except for one brief period of Chinese reoccupation (1407–28), until their conquest by the French in the 19th cent.
By 1558 the kingdom was in effect divided between two great families: the Trinh line, whichruled from Hanoi (then called Tonkin) as far south as Porte d'Annam (this area was called Tonkin by the Europeans who arrived in the 16th cent.), and the Nguyens, who ruled from Hue over the territory extending from Porte d'Annam south to the vicinity of Quy Nhon. The ruling dynasties of Hueand Tonkin were overthrown in 1778 and 1786 respectively, and the two domains were reunited (1802) as the empire of Vietnamby Nguyen-Anh, a Hue general, who had procured French military aid by ceding (1787) to the French the port of Da Nangand the Con Son islands. Nguyen-Anh established himself as emperor; his authority was formally recognized by the Chinese in 1803. In 1807 the Vietnamese extended a protectorate over Cambodia, which led in succeeding years to frequent wars against Siam.
After the death of Nguyen-Anh his successor, attempting to withdraw into isolation, mistreated French nationals and Vietnamese Christian converts. This provided an excuse for French military operations, which began in 1858 and resulted in the seizure of S Vietnam (Cochin China) and the establishment of protectorates (by 1884) over N Vietnam (Tonkin) and central Vietnam(Annam). The French, who abolished the name Annam, received recognition for their protectorates from the Chinese emperor. In 1887 Annam became part of the Union of Indochina. In World War II Indochina was occupied by the Japanese, who set up the autonomous state of Vietnam, comprising Tonkin, Annam, and Cochin China; Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam, was established as ruler. After the war Annamese and Tonkinese nationalists demanded independence for the new state of Vietnam, and the region was plunged into a long and bloody conflict (see Vietnam).
(Source: Wikipedia)

About YourVietbooks.com
YourVietBooks is a collection of books on Vietnam for Readers who are interested in Vietnam's History, Culture, Language, Economy, or Business. Most titles are in English, but some are only available in French or Vietnamese. We can provide interested parties an accurate translation of some parts of the books for your research purposes. Translations are done by YourVietnamExpert's qualified and experienced translators. contact@yourvietnamexpert.com

Jun 6, 2015

French Books: Culture et Impérialisme

Original Title in English: Culture and Imperialism (Link to download pdf)
Author: Edward W. Said 
French Title: Culture et Impérialisme, Translation by Paul Chemla
Publisher in France: Fayard, Le Monde diplomatique  (2000)
ISBN: 9782213607917
My ref: ATA-337






About the Book:  Publié il y a plus de trente ans, L’Orientalisme avait suscité un immense intérêt et de vives polémiques sur les relations que l’Occident a entretenues, et continue d’entretenir, avec le monde musulman. L’auteur y démontrait que l’« Orient » n’était qu’un fantasme créé par les orientalistes.

Avec Culture et impérialisme, Edward W. Said récidive. Il nous conduit « au cœur des ténèbres » blanches, à la source de l’aventure coloniale constitutive de l’histoire de l’Occident moderne. S’appuyant sur une analyse fine et singulière d’œuvres classiques que chacun connaît et admire, il montre comment les grands créateurs du XIXe et du XXe siècles, de Joseph Conrad à Rudyard Kipling, d’Albert Camus à Giuseppe Verdi, de Charles Dickens à Honoré de Balzac, ont évoqué et calmement admis cette formidable entreprise de domination conduite par l’ « homme blanc ».

About the Author: Palestinien né à Jérusalem, nourri de culture occidentale classique, Edward W. Said — décédé en 2003 — appartient, comme il le dit lui-même, « aux deux univers sans être entièrement d’aucun ».


« L’ennui avec les abstractions et les orthodoxies, c’est qu’elles deviennent des maîtresses qu’il faut constamment apaiser et flatter. La morale et les principes d’un intellectuel ne doivent en aucune façon devenir une sorte de boîte de vitesses hermétiquement closes, conduisant la pensée et l’action dans une seule direction. L’intellectuel doit voir du paysage et disposer de l’espace nécessaire pour tenir tête à l’autorité, car l’aveugle servilité à l’égard du pouvoir reste dans notre monde la pire des menaces pour une vie intellectuelle active, et morale. »
Edward W. Said
Des intellectuels et du Pouvoir, Seuil, 1994 

Ce livre, publié conjointement par Le Monde diplomatique et les éditions Fayard, constitue une œuvre majeure pour comprendre l’histoire et les enjeux de notre temps.


Pour en savoir plus Le Monde diplomatique, suivre ce lien: http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/carnet/2008-03-03-Culture-et-Imperialisme

Autres articles intéressants:

  • Percée Scientific Journal: http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/xxs_0294-1759_2001_num_71_1_1401_t1_0137_0000_1
  • Cairn.info Revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine:
     
    http://www.cairn.info/revue-d-histoire-moderne-et-contemporaine-2001-4-page-209.htm
  • France Culture, Le Mardi des Auteurs:
    http://www.franceculture.fr/emission-le-mardi-des-auteurs-edward-said-1935-2003-2010-07-06.html
  • ENA Mensuel: Politique et Littérature, L'héritage d'Edward Said
    http://www.karimbitar.org/edwardsaid
  • Fiche de lecture:
    http://www.letudiant.fr/boite-a-docs/telecharger/culture-et-imperialisme
  • English Article on Culture and Imperialism:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_imperialism
  • Universalis Encyclopédie sur Edward Said
    http://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/edward-w-said/
  • Essay on Culture, globalisation et communication : perspectives théoriques contemporaines by Stéphane Dorin Université Paris 13, EHESS-CNRS, France
    http://www.observatoire-omic.org/colloque-icic/pdf/Dorin2_2.pdf
  • Essay by CP Burrowes: Twenty years of research on Cultural Imperialism
    http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED349591.pdf

Selected Book review on Amazon.com:
"This is an excellent book covering the power of literature to form and maintain ideological control over cultures, history, and people. In fact, the wide range of opinions about this book expressed here among the amazon customer reviews points to just how real this kind of control can be. Your position in the world will affect your reading of this book. But really that's Said's point. And it is true of whatever you see and read. Being entirely objective probably is asking too much of anyone, but opening yourself to the opinions and experiences of others is not asking too much. There's more than just a little that is valid and true in this book even if it is not immediately true for you. How Western literature, words, and ideas have affected other non-western lives is real. Here's the proof. Everyone needs to be aware of these relationships and this book does make a sound argument for that awareness."


Have an excellent weekend.


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YourVietBooks is a selection of books and articles on and about Vietnam. Categories include: Culture, History, Vietnam War, Politics, Biographies, Contemporary Vietnam, International Relations, Doing Business in Vietnam, Reference and Languages, Zen Buddhism, Philosophy, Art and Literature. Some articles are available only in English, French, German or Vietnamese. Our qualified and experienced translators can provide translations of e-books or articles on demand. Read more...




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Jun 8, 2011

YourVietBooks: Transformative Power of Intercultural Experiences

YourVietBooks: Transformative Power of Intercultural Experiences: "Original Title in English By Author Anh Tho Andres @YourVietnamExpert.com Source: Blog Transformative Power of Intercultural Experiences..."

About YourVietbooks.com
YourVietBooks is a collection of books on Vietnam for Readers who are interested in Vietnam's History, Culture, Language, Economy, or Business. Most titles are in English, but some are only available in French or Vietnamese. We can provide interested parties an accurate translation of some parts of the books for your research purposes. Translations are done by YourVietnamExpert's qualified and experienced translators. contact@yourvietnamexpert.com

Transformative Power of Intercultural Experiences

Original Title in English
By Author Anh Tho Andres @YourVietnamExpert.com
Source: Blog Transformative Power of Intercultural Experiences 


Discussion 

"Sharing on my personal intercultural experience: As a South Vietnamese growing up in war torn South Vietnam, I benefit from both French and American culture in my younger years. After the fall of Saigon (or the "liberation" of South Vietnam), I was among the 800 successful candidates among the 43'000 who sat for entrance examinations to various universities of the newly unified Vietnam. Upon graduation, I worked as a professional translator and interpreter in 5 languages, among which Russian and German. Later on, I also acquired Swiss German and Norwegian in my set of languages as translator. With this background, I had experienced a lot of scenario where cross-cultural communication plays a very important role, even within the same ethnic group, sharing the same beliefs, speaking the same language. In my studies of Buddhism, I learnt that we are shaped by the perceptions that we have of the world through inputs we receive from our immediate entourage and senses, and the way to consciously neutralise negative thoughts and build up positive thought through the process of meditation. I am still working on this and find that it helps a lot to develop compassion to understand the "other" while you are communicating with them. From my readings on Vietnam war stories, I also noticed that a lot of destruction and losses of life could have been spared if both sides had been given the opportunities to understand the opponent's position. For me, understanding others' culture start with an open mind to accept that there can be many solutions to problem-solving, and nobody can be holding the absolute truth. If we learn how to listen actively, we may find a solution of resolving a conflict without having to use coercitive methods to impose our own thinking." Posted by Anh Tho Andres on May 2011.
About the Author
A native Vietnamese born in South Vietnam during the American war. French educated at Couvent des Oiseaux and Lycée Yersin. Got last French Baccalaureat in 1975 during the last days of Saigon Government. Anh Tho Andres was among the first few (southern Vietnamese) graduates in post-war Vietnam in 1979. Her first job with the National Oil Service Company in Vung Tau, as a 5-language interpreter and customer relations officer, gave her a rich insight on Vietnam's relations with foreign investors and problems that expats faced while living and working in Vietnam. Later, as a Translator-Consultant and Interpreter based in Singapore - while doing her English MBA with Hull University (UK), she accompanied businessmen on their business fact-finding trips to Vietnam. She also started her method of  "Learn Vietnamese in 8 Hours" and trained over 1000 Singaporean businessmen to be relocated to Vietnam. She was also the first business-women entrepreneur who organised conferences and seminars on various subjects for Vietnamese official delegations to visit Singapore, Malaysia and Switzerland, acting as their guide-interpreter and consultant. Since 2007, she attended legal trainings in Swiss and English Law, and specialises in legal translation, providing translation and consulting services on Vietnam, through her network of YourVietnamExpert colleagues. Her first published book 'Basic Vietnamese'  with Europhone (1994) was sold for over 50'000 units.  Her second book named 'Business Vietnamese, Useful Tips for a Succesful Venture with your Vietnam Partner', is to be published in Autumn 2011. She is also preparing her manuscript and film script for her second novel 'Back to Square One', relating her life experiences in Vietnam, Norway, Switzerland and Singapore. Now based in Geneva, she is coordinating the project initiated hereunder to help younger Vietnamese in their translation techniques and general knowledge in Vietnam studies.


About YourVietbooks.com

YourVietBooks is a collection of books on Vietnam for Readers who are interested in Vietnam's History, Culture, Language, Economy, or Business. Most titles are in English, but some are only available in French or Vietnamese. Our qualified and experienced translators can provide interested parties an accurate translation of some parts of the books for your research purposes. Contact yourvietbooks@gmail.com for more information.