The suspect population: rural refugees and America's war in South Vietnam
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VU’s Centre for Cultural Diversity and Wellbeing invites you to a thought-provoking seminar on the advocacy of a program of rural de-population across South Vietnam between 1965 and 1968.
By early 1968, an estimated four million South Vietnamese had been displaced by American air strikes and ground operations. Those refugees migrated toward US base camps, urban slums and roadside shantytowns, where they tried to eke out an existence in the 'new' South Vietnamese economy. In late January 1968, that suspect refugee population rose up against the American presence by assisting the Viet Cong in carrying out its countrywide Tet Offensive.
Although the Tet Offensive revealed the failure of Johnson's policies, the president doubled down on his goal of destroying the Viet Cong's rural-based popular support. In the months and years after the Tet Offensive, another four to six million South Vietnamese fled the South Vietnamese countryside.
This is a free event, hosted by Victoria University’s Centre for Cultural Diversity and Wellbeing (CCDW), in partnership with Footscray University Town.
The speaker
Robert Kelley Schneiders holds a PhD in Agricultural History and Rural Studies from Iowa State University. In addition to having served as a Strategic Military Intelligence Analyst for the US Army, he has worked as a lecturer at the University of Minnesota and the University of St Thomas (Minneapolis, Minnesota).
Through the years, Schneiders has published articles and books on the history and present environmental status of the Missouri River. Most recently, he completed a monograph on the historical significance of populace and place in the struggle for South Vietnam.
Footscray University Town events & activities
This one of a range of Footscray Uni Town events & activities brought to you as part of the ongoing Footscray University Town partnership between VU and Maribyrnong City Council.
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When?
This event has already taken place.
