Parenting Patriots: Filial Piety, Family Socialization, and Insurgency in the Vietnam War

Nguyen, Mai Anh

Abstract

This paper explores two ways in which family, specifically parents, predisposed Vietnamese children to join the National Liberation Front. Firstly, I found that family often socialized children into a certain political orientation, and children were expected to uphold their parents’ honor as revolutionaries. Filial piety and desire to protect one’s family played an important role in motivating Vietnamese children to take up arms. The findings presented by this article emphasize that family can be a space where politics and affection intertwine, thereby becoming an important motivator in mobilizing potential insurgents.

Citation

Nguyen, M. A. (2023). Parenting Patriots: Filial Piety, Family Socialization, and Insurgency in the Vietnam War. Journal of Vietnamese Studies, 18(4), 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1525/vs.2023.18.4.1

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 16, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 1, 2023
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 12, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 12, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Vietnamese Studies
• Print ISSN: 1559-372X
• Electronic ISSN: 1559-3738
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 1-29
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/vs.2023.18.4.1
• Keywords: Keywords:Vietnam War, child soldiers, National Liberation Front, Youth Shock Brigades