Creative Citizen Peacebuilding: Japanese Artists and Audiences Respond to the Vietnam-American War

Authors

Long T. Bui, University of California, IrvineFollow
Ayako Sahara, Kyoritsu Women’s UniversityFollow

Abstract

This article explores two case studies related to South Vietnam and Japan, relating them to the controversial history and legacy of the Second Indochina War. The first is the Japanese adoption and adaptation of South Vietnamese antiwar music. The second is a Japanese film, uncovered decades later after the war, exposing the role of Japan in South Vietnam. Cultural productions, from nations allied with the United States, sought to expose the popular struggle for peace against the rising tide of Cold War military violence and corporate capitalist exploitation. Through interviews, archival research, and textual analysis, the article argues for a deeper understanding of the transnational alliances and forms of what we call creative citizen peacebuilding forged among musicians, filmmakers, and audiences.

Author Bio(s)

Long T. Bui is Associate Professor, Department of Global and International Studies University of California, Irvine, USA

Ayako Sahara is Associate Professor in of International Studies, Kyoritsu Women's University, Japan

Keywords

South Vietnam, Japan, Music, War, Art, Film, Indochina, Vietnam, Pacificism

Recommended Citation

Bui, Long T. and Sahara, Ayako (2022) "Creative Citizen Peacebuilding: Japanese Artists and Audiences Respond to the Vietnam-American War," Peace and Conflict Studies: Vol. 28: No. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/pcs/vol28/iss2/5

ORCID ID

0000-0001-5915-4993

ResearcherID

ABB-5775-2020