<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>In this paper, the concept of “people as the roots” (of the state) is explored through its myriad expressions in Vietnamese history: the emphasis of Vietnamese feudal rulers on fulfilling the people’s will, loving the people, and ensuring peace for the people. From these historical examples, the authors argue that in the politics of Vietnamese traditional Confucianism, there has been the presence of democratic elements. Yet, they do not reflect a full-fledged democracy and should be seen only as signs of village democracy. This view holds an important implication for the process of democratization of modern Vietnamese society: while the concept of “people as the roots” is essential for a village democracy and is valuable for building a democracy, it does not necessarily mean a straightforward translation to a modern democracy. Here, the authors suggest that civil society will play an important role in making this transition smoother.</p></abstract>

In this paper, the concept of “people as the roots” (of the state) is explored through its myriad expressions in Vietnamese history: the emphasis of Vietnamese feudal rulers on fulfilling the people’s will, loving the people, and ensuring peace for the people. From these historical examples, the authors argue that in the politics of Vietnamese traditional Confucianism, there has been the presence of democratic elements. Yet, they do not reflect a full-fledged democracy and should be seen only as signs of village democracy. This view holds an important implication for the process of democratization of modern Vietnamese society: while the concept of “people as the roots” is essential for a village democracy and is valuable for building a democracy, it does not necessarily mean a straightforward translation to a modern democracy. Here, the authors suggest that civil society will play an important role in making this transition smoother.

People as the Roots (of the State): Democratic Elements in the Politics of Traditional Vietnamese Confucianism

Journal of Nationalism, Memory & Language Politics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

In this paper, the concept of “people as the roots” (of the state) is explored through its myriad expressions in Vietnamese history: the emphasis of Vietnamese...

People as the Roots (of the State): Democratic Elements in the Politics of Traditional Vietnamese Confucianism

Published Online: Jul 12, 2019

Page range: 90 - 110

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jnmlp-2019-0001

Keywords
Vietnamese Confucianism, people as the roots, politics, democracy, village democracy, grassroots democracy

© 2019 Tai-Dong Nguyen and Manh-Tung Ho, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

People as the Roots (of the State): Democratic Elements in the Politics of Traditional Vietnamese Confucianism

Published Online: Jul 12, 2019

Page range: 90 - 110

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jnmlp-2019-0001

KeywordsVietnamese Confucianism, people as the roots, politics, democracy, village democracy, grassroots democracy

© 2019 Tai-Dong Nguyen and Manh-Tung Ho, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Vietnamese Confucianism, people as the roots, politics, democracy, village democracy, grassroots democracy