In-Depth Notes on 'Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War' by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Introduction to War, Memory, and Identity

• The book's central premise: all wars are fought twice – on the battlefield and in memory.
• Examines the Vietnam War (also called the American War) as a key example of this struggle between memory and identity.

The Conflict of War and Memory

• Identity Crisis of War: Names of wars reflect national identities and struggles.
  • The Vietnam War vs. the American War: different perceptions and implications.
  • War shapes and is shaped by memories; how wars are remembered affects national identity and future conflicts.
• Euphemisms: Wars are often romanticized to justify actions and instill a sense of national pride.
• Memory of the Dead: The living must speak for the deceased, raising ethical questions about representation and responsibility.

Questioning War Narratives

• Complicated Remembering: We must remember both the living participants and the broader implications of war.
• Historical Context:
  • Warfare is persistent and connects various historical narratives, including colonialism and imperialism.
  • Acknowledges the complexity of war with incomplete beginnings and endings, often extending beyond national borders.

Perspectives on War Memorialization

• Different Memories:
  • Vietnamese Perspectives: Emphasis on civilian and women’s roles, contrasting with American memories which often glorify military actions.
  • Asymmetries in Memory: Different groups prioritize different narratives: winners often control the narrative while those who lose face erasure.
• Ethics of Memory: The necessity to remember the forgotten, marginalized, and victimized in all conflicts.

The Role of Art in Memory

• Art as a Tool for Memory:
  • Art signifies human experiences and should be integral to remembering wars.
  • Art's ability to convey complex emotions and experiences lasting beyond factual accounts.
• Cultural Production: Memory and forgetting are connected with the ways societies produce stories about war and conflict, often commodifying memory.

Industrialization of Memory

• Memory Industry:
  • Capitalism increasingly commodifies memory, turning personal experiences into nostalgia-driven products.
  • Historical narratives shaped into marketable forms: documentaries, reenactments, and memorabilia.
• Controlling Memory: The need for powerful interests to manage collective memory to serve political agendas while marginalizing alternative views.
• Memory vs. Forgetting: The struggle between remembering painful pasts and the urge to forget for political expediency.

Toward a Just Memory

• Need for Ethical Approaches: Balancing remembering one’s own with remembering others, avoiding nationalistic amnesia.
• Just Memory Defined: Aim for inclusivity in remembering – embracing complexities over binary views.
• Transformative Potential: Just memory as a potential mechanism for societal healing and collective growth, fostering inclusivity.

Concluding Thoughts on Memory and Humanity

• The Dialectic of Memory: Remembering and forgetting are intertwined; memory shapes our understanding of humanity and inhumanity.
• Challenge to Nationalism: Just memory calls for confronting the inconvenient truths of history without losing sight of individual and collective humanity.
• Art’s Enduring Legacy: Art's struggle against the fleeting nature of memory, aiming to preserve the human experience while challenging narratives of power.