Academic Review

 

Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2019

 

Reinterpreting History: Four New Perspectives on Vietnam War Research(Abstract)

 

Zhai Qiang

 

Four new perspectives have emerged in the study of the Vietnam War in recent years: the Vietnamese perspective, the international perspective, the cross-country perspective and the perspective of memory. American historians of foreign relations are well aware that if they wish to gain a comprehensive understanding of American foreign policy, they need to strengthen their understanding of their opponents’ history and culture. There is a growing consciousness that the history of American foreign relations must be placed in an international and cross-country context and that it is necessary to transcend the narrow stereotypes of “American centralism,” “American uniqueness,” and “American exceptionalism.” These scholars are endeavoring to address the shortcomings of traditional research that focused more on high-level decision-making rather than the responses of society. The broadening of Vietnam War research to include social and cultural history is a microcosm of the continuing efforts of the entire American community of historians of foreign relation to broaden the scope of their research and enriching their research methods in recent years.