A moderniser with a firm foot in the Classical world

Vinh Sinh (Editor). Phan Châu Trinh and his Political Writings. Ithaca: Cornell University Press/SEAP. 141 pages. ISBN 978-0-87727-749-1

Phan Châu Trinh (1872-1926) was a Vietnamese intellectual and educator whose life coincided with the establishment of French Protectorate rule over his native country. He advocated for engagement with the French colonial regime in order to transform Vietnamese society. His subsequent activism for ‘popular rights’ (‘dân quyền’) led to his arrest in Central Vietnam and eventual exile in France from 1911 to 1925. In the final months of his life, Phan delivered two landmark lectures, which Vinh Sinh has included in a carefully assembled volume which is sure to become the standard English language work on the life and thought of Phan Châu Trinh.

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