You are cordially invited to attend THE SALON at THE BENTON
Friday, May 1, 5 to 7 pm
Theme: "Remembering the Vietnam War: Legacy & Reflections"
April 30, 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, signaling the end of a conflict that remains to this day at the forefront of current debates on U.S. foreign policy. In conjunction with the Benton's current exhibition, Remembering the Vietnam War, the Salon discussion will revolve around the personal experiences of an American soldier and a Vietnamese woman who was raised in post-war Vietnam.
Panelists: Quan Tran, Ph.D. candidate, American Studies, Yale University. Ms. Tran was born and raised in post-war Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. with her family as a teenager. Her dissertation examines the Vietnamese boat people's history and memory within the contemporary Vietnamese diaspora. During the 2013-2014 academic year, Quan was a Pre-doctoral Fellow at UConn in Asian and Asian American Studies and the History Department. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals and anthologies. She is also a published bilingual poet and photographer.
Lane Barrows, retired, UConn School of Business. Mr. Barrows was drafted into the Air Force as a radio operator and served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the 834th Air Division, the first in Saigon (Tan Son Nhut Air Base) and the second at Hue Phu Bai. Following his discharge from the Air Force, he worked as a commercial baker while pursuing his education, leading to an MA from Harvard. During his time at UConn, he taught Managerial Communications, and served as Director of the MBA Program and the Institute of Writing.
Moderator: Cathy Schlund-Vials, Associate Professor of English and Asian and Asian American Studies, and Director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute at UConn. Her research interests include experiences of dislocation and migration, and the crucial connections between history, memory, citizenship, and human rights. She is the author of "Modeling Citizenship: Jewish and Asian American Writing", and "War, Genocide and Justice: Cambodian American Memory Work" and is working on a third book. She has also published many essays and was a recipient of an AAUP teaching award and the Association for Asian American Studies "Early Career" Award.
This Salon at The Benton is co-sponsored by the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute.
Cocktail reception at 5pm / Panel discussion begins at 5:30pm
The Salon is FREE. Donations gratefully accepted.
For more information, contact: The Benton at 860-486-4520