Dr Sean Fear

Can you tell us about your research, work and expertise in Southeast Asia?

I am a historian of contemporary Vietnam. My current book project, under contract with Harvard, focuses on political legitimacy in the Republic of Vietnam (aka South Vietnam) 1967-1975. My work has featured in the Journal of Vietnamese Studies, Diplomatic History, the Cambridge History of the Vietnam War, the New York Times, and several podcasts. I am also co-editor of a volume, published by Cornell, of personal essays by former state officials and prominent civil society representatives from the Republic of Vietnam.

I currently serve as a historical advisor to the Independence Palace Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2022-23 I was a Visiting Professor at Fulbright University Vietnam, with whom I negotiated an Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the University of Leeds in 2019. I have attained the highest level of Vietnamese language certification from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, and have been studying, conducting research and teaching in Vietnam since 2008.