Meet Professor Christian C. Lentz, an AIFIS-CAORC supported scholar charting a fascinating journey into the historical ties between Indonesia and the two Vietnams from 1945 to 1975. His project A New Asia: Relations with Vietnam in a World After Empire traces how Indonesia’s decolonization era intertwined with Vietnam’s, exploring their triangular relations through Bandung’s rise, postcolonial state-building, and Cold War tensions.
From the moment Indonesia declared independence to the turbulent decades that followed, Lentz delves into archival material, diplomatic exchanges, and political narratives to show how the idea of “post-imperial Asia” was made, remade, and contested. He examines how Indonesia saw Vietnam — and vice versa — as partners, rivals, and mirrors of what freedom, sovereignty, and modernity could mean beyond European colonial rule.
Through this research, Lentz illuminates how decolonization was never just a national story, but a regional project: one shaped as much by ideas and alliances as by conflict, betrayal, and hope. AIFIS is honored to support this go-deep exploration of Asia’s shared struggles and shared dreams — where the boundaries drawn under empire continue to echo in politics and memory.
📖 Explore Christian Lentz’s Latest Research
Read Prof. Lent'z recent AIFIS-CAORC supported publication on Indonesia and Vietnam in the era after empire.
🔗 Read the Publication
