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Copyright by Duc Hong Huynh 2010 The Thesis committee for Duc Hong Huynh Certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: Caodai Spiritism: Hybrid Individuals, Global Communities APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE Supervisor: __________________________________________ Nancy Stalker __________________________________________ Mark Metzler Caodai Spiritism: Hybrid Individuals, Global Communities by Duc Hong Huynh, B.S. Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin May 2010 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work would not have been possible without the assistance and guidance from those around me. It is not only a culmination of achievements throughout my academic career, but just as much a testament of the moral support I have received from my mentors, friends, and family. First and foremost, I would like to thank the members of my thesis committee for helping me throughout the entire process – in providing clarity for my topic and in offering sound advice during the editing process. I express the highest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Nancy Stalker, for pointing me into the direction of New Religions; for encouraging me to present at conferences; and, most of all, for being sincere and patient throughout my growth as a scholar. I would also like to thank Dr. Mark Metzler for agreeing to read my thesis; for inspiring me to pursue the field of History; and for providing me with much needed reassurance in the latter stages of this project. I also would like to thank the remarkable professors that I have had the privilege of working with over the years. Thank you to Dr. Kirsten Cather, whose exuberance and charming character made my years at UT so much more memorable. Thank you to Dr. Patricia Maclachlan, whose dedication and leadership in all her pursuits motivate me to work harder as well. Thank you to Dr. Daniel Aldrich for first getting me interested in Asian Studies. And thank you to Prof. Saeko Yatsuka-Jensen who was always able to draw out my best qualities. This project would also not have been possible without the extensive research I conducted during the summer of 2009. I am thankful to the Institute for Vietnamese Culture & Education and to all of the instructors at Can Tho University for giving me the opportunity to teach in Vietnam. I am also indebted to the priests and adepts at the Caodai Holy See in Tay Ninh. This thesis is a product of their immeasurable kindness and willingness to help me learn about a religion that I now deeply care for. Indeed, I dedicate this work to all of the Caodaists that I have met and I hope I will be able to continue this collaboration in the future. However, I reserve my warmest reflections for the family that I stayed with during this trip. I would like express my deepest appreciation to my Dượng and Dì Út, as well as to my adorable twin cousins, Bé Khỉ and Bé Heo. They truly are the most beautiful and loving family I have ever encountered and represent everything that I admire about Vietnam. Finally, I would like to convey my appreciation to friends and family. Thank you to Hye Eun Choi and Shirley Field. I hold you both in the highest esteem and will always cherish the bonds we forged during our graduate career. For my siblings, I would like to express my admiration for your personal qualities. To Qweezy, I am always in awe of your unyielding ambition and strong conviction. To Bear, you are an endearing sister with a congenial persona; I always strive to be a better person whenever I am around you. To Hammy, I adore your sharp tongue and bold character; please continue to show everyone what it means to really experience life. Lastly, I owe the greatest debt to my parents, who have been the most essential presence in my life. To my Mother, you have the kindest, most caring soul. I feel your love every time I bite into your sup duoi bo. To my Father, I have nothing but the utmost respect for your dedication to your family and to your country. While we may always disagree on topics about Vietnam, I know that our lively debates are driven by the same passion and devotion to a place we both love. I am perpetually grateful to have been inspired by such great company throughout my life. iv Caodai Spiritism: Hybrid Identities, Global Communities by Duc Hong Huynh, M.A. The University of Texas at Austin, 2010 SUPERVISOR: Nancy K. Stalker The Caodai religion of Vietnam has often been labeled as a peasant-driven, politico- religious sect due to its anti-colonial activities during the first half of the 1940s. This paper conducts an historical analysis of Caodaism’s formative years (1926-1941) to show that the religion was in fact primarily managed by Cochinchinese (South Vietnamese) elites who appropriated many of the governance and economic models introduced by the French colonial government. Combining their knowledge of Western bureaucratic systems with Asian religious traditions into a form of hybridity that exhibited both cultures, these elites founded the religion of Caodaism. The paper uses the concept of hybridity to look at how other aspects embody the negotiation and reappropriation of ideas by Caodaists. These include the concept of salvation, the religion’s spirit pantheon, Caodaism’s most famous Western convert (Gabriel Gobron), and the Caodai community in Tay Ninh province. I argue that these hybrid forms allowed Caodaists to overcome a sense of cultural inferiority by establishing cultural parity with the West. Furthermore, I look at the recent developments within Caodaist communities that have formed in the wake of the 1975 Vietnamese Diaspora. I first examine the influence of restrictive state policies on Caodaists in the homeland and compare it with the experiences of diasporic Vietnamese in rebuilding their religion outside of Vietnam. I find that these diasporic communities are caught between two poles in their attempts to revive the religion. Some overseas Caodaists feel that it is necessary to preserve the tradition by supporting mainland Caodaism from the outside. Others find it more suitable to begin reinventing the religion to cater to diasporic needs and challenges. This tension, I argue, also constitutes a type of hybridity in which individuals must delegate between these two approaches to decide the future of their religion. v Table of Contents List of Illustrations ........................................................................................................ vii Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Part I: Conflicted Identities ............................................................................................ 13 Part II: Global Identities ................................................................................................ 33 Part III: Dual Identities .................................................................................................. 54 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 77 Bibliography ................................................................................................................. 79 Vita ............................................................................................................................... 86 vi List of Illustrations Illustration 1: Corbeille-a-bec ........................................................................................ 27 Illustration 2: Gabriel Gobron ........................................................................................ 51 vii INTRODUCTION In his book, Viet-Nam Witness 1953-66, the famous journalist and Vietnam social commentator Bernard Fall predicted that, with its military operations forcibly ended in 1955, the Cao Dai religion was “destined to disappear” from any significant role in Vietnam’s future. 1 Fall was convinced that Caodaism would become an historical footnote; one in which future generations will fondly remember as the time when people naively envisioned a global brotherhood while engaging in practices of spirit worship. Fall, however, made no attempt to discredit what Caodaism was able to accomplish in the short period between its origins and the time in which he began writing his book. The religion was officially founded in 1926, when a group of séance practitioners encountered the Supreme Deity, known as the Cao Dai.2 Caodaism became famous for its unique doctrine which incorporated elements from Vietnam’s tam-giao tradition (“Three Devotions”: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism). Adherents stressed the principle of universal love and tolerance, believing that some form of Cao Dai’s message was present in all religions and that the Cao Dai spirit was interspersed throughout all living beings.3 Utilizing this concept, Caodaists sought to draw connections with the world’s faiths in order to seek a harmonious brotherhood. What started as an eclectic religion soon 1 Bernard Fall, Viet-Nam Witness 1953-66 (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1966), 32. 2 Cao Dai literally translates to ‘High Palace.’ Caodaists believed using the word God created religious conflict. The spirit’s full title was Cao Dai Tien Ong Dai Bo Tat Ma Ha Tat (High palace, immortal, his honor, the eldest Boddhisattva, the venerable saint). 3 Tan Khoa Ho, The Outline of Caodaism, trans. Pham Tai Doan (San Jose: