Category: News

Reported by Sydney Brown, class of 2026 & Yuruo Zhang, class of 2027

On Wednesday, December 4th the Archives and History Initiative hosted its final event for the semester. Senior Haiyi Guo presented his experience as a student research assistant for Professor Zach Fredman, and discussed his Signature Work project. About 19 students and Professors Jan Hua-Henning, Titas Chakraborty, Jesse Olsavasky, Bryce Beemer, Joseph Giacomelli, Andrew Field, as well as Archivist Ryder Kouba were in attendance.

Haiyi Firstly introduced his previous research experience, as a history research assistant. “New Book: The Tormented Alliance” is Professor Fredman’s new book project, it was a study about the cooperation between the US Army and the Nationalist Government in China during World War II. Guo reviewed and collated reference information for writing. “Rest and Recreation (R&R) program” is a research program about the US Army’s vacation program (R&R) during the Vietnam War. He helped to collect related resources from online archives.

Guo’s signature work project, “A History of Gender in the Vietnam War,” was influenced by the work he did with Prof. Fredman. Guo utilises interviews conducted with former Donut Dollies for his primary sources, and conducted historical research into the chronology of the Vietnam War, and on gender issues. His project has three main focuses: American and Allied women in military and support roles; Vietnamese Women’s Experiences During the Vietnam War; and Women’s leadership in post-war recovery.

His first focus on American and Allied Women looks at the Donut Dollies, women who volunteered with the Red Cross to provide relaxation and comfort for male soldiers in Vietnam. Guo also looks at how consequently, former Donut Dollies developed PTSD from sex violence. The next focus (Vietnamese Women’s Experiences During the Vietnam War) looks at how the war destroyed rural comunities and forced women to move and go into sex work. Here, Guo looks at bar girls and the intersection with sex work. He also looks at how the perception of American soldiers being generous and willing to marry provided the hope for better futures for Vietnamese women. The final focus, Women’s Leadership in Post-War Recovery, addresses the story of one Vietnamese woman who was separated from her family, and in the United States, started a support group called “Families of Vietnamese Prisoners Association.” The group worked to reunite families who were separated during the Vietnam War.

In the end, participants asked about the research content and context, including the societal and cultural implications of the Vietnam War on women’s roles. The Discussion highlighted how wartime experiences reshaped traditional gender expectations and led to the stigmatisation of women involved in non-conventional roles, such as entertainment or support services. Comparisons were drawn to other historical instances, such as Korean “comfort women,” which emphasised shared struggles and the complexities of addressing historical narratives. The audience also reflected on how these roles influenced post-war integration and the lingering perception of women who worked in such capacities. Moreover, participants also inquired about the challenges of sourcing and analysing materials. Questions centred on how primary sources were accessed and evaluated, especially those from Vietnamese archives or oral histories. The speaker explained the reliance on English-language interviews and newspaper reports due to the difficulty of accessing Vietnamese-language resources. Thus, the audience suggested the potential for incorporating oral histories to provide richer, more personal insights into women’s experiences. The audience also raised points about the ethical considerations of interpreting sensitive topics, such as trauma and stigma, through historical research.

Before the dismiss of the event, Professor Jan Hua-Henning quickly mentioned a research assistant opportunity open for all students. Student workers on the team will help Professor Hua-Henning create a website and database for the Global Histories of Risk (GLOHRI) project and will be the first ones to contribute to the database. If interested, please contact Professor Hua-Henning at jan.huahenning@dukekunshan.edu.cn for furthur information.