Abstract EN:

The main goal of my research is a detailed understanding of the ideas and actualities of the reformist movements in Vietnam from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. This project is concerned with determining the extent to which a Vietnamese intellectuel phenomenon (the reformist movement) resembled that of other East Asian countries during the same period. Also, I will examine the changes wrought by a new, emergent generation of reform-minded elites who invested themselves in 'New Learning' (tân học). In an attempt to clarify the reasons for the development of a reform-minded idea among traditional elites, it seems appropriate to compare the case of Vietnam with Korea. Initially, independence movements in Korea and Vietnam occupied themselves with the wide diffusion of reformist ideas through 'New Books' (tân thu) originating in China or Japan. From this, elite reformers in Korea an Vietnam had a new sense of group identity, bringing a value for innovation to their collective involvement in politics and political discussion, which resulted from 'new leaming' and the confrontation between these intellectuels and colonial govemments in their countries. Although Korea and Vietnam were both subjected to the deep disruptions of colonization linked to the spread of imperialist ambitions in East Asia, reformist movements in each country evolved differently, each choosing a proper and particular response.