For Faith and Nation

Abstract This article advances the novel argument that the Buddhist movement of 1963 in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam) was an assertion of religious nationalism and reflected believers’ dissatisfaction with the process of decolonization in Vietnam. Activists claimed that they aimed only to secure religious equality and freedom under the government of Ngô Đinh Diệm. But a careful reading of Vietnamese sources reveals that their immediate objective was part of a larger nationalist vision. The Buddhists insisted that their religion was the basis of the Vietnamese nation and that Buddhism should play a special role in the newly independent country. They feared that Diệm's preferential treatment of Catholics threatened their dream and accused him of perpetuating colonial-era discrimination. Therefore, religious leaders launched a movement to achieve the conditions that would enable them to realize their vision. Inspired in part by Gandhi's struggle to decolonize India, they championed nonviolent resistance and made self-immolation their signature method of struggle. By emphasizing the decolonial dimensions of the movement, the article demonstrates that Vietnamese decolonization included peaceful, noncommunist opposition movements that cannot be subsumed into a history of military engagements.