Collective Trauma and Survival of the Vietnamese Refugees in Lan Cao’s  Monkey Bridge and The Lotus and the Storm

Özgür Atmaca; Defne Ersin Tutan

doi:10.31261/rias.18025

Published: 2025-12-31

Vol. 18 No. 2 (2025)

Collective Trauma and Survival of the Vietnamese Refugees in Lan Cao’s Monkey Bridge and The Lotus and the Storm

Özgür Atmaca

, Defne Ersin Tutan

Section: FEATURES

https://doi.org/10.31261/rias.18025

Abstract

This study examines the representations of Vietnam War trauma and the paths taken by the Vietnamese immigrants in the US at the collective level to heal their wounds in Lan Cao’s Monkey Bridge and The Lotus and the Storm. Through the analysis of these literary works, the study intends to contribute to the efforts in the field of trauma studies that lay emphasis on the experiences of war survivors who seek refuge in Western nations. In both of Cao’s novels, although the trauma of the Vietnamese in the US is mostly related to their experiences of the war in their homeland, intolerance to the Vietnamese presence in the US, and thus, their marginalization by Americans, impedes the self-healing efforts of the Vietnamese. Despite the challenges they face in their homeland, on their journey to the US and in the US, the Vietnamese do not prefer a life of passivity; instead, they seek to heal their wounds in every possible way.

Keywords:

Vietnam War , Collective Trauma , Lan Cao , Vietnamese Refugees , Survival

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Atmaca, Özgür, & Tutan, D. E. (2025). Collective Trauma and Survival of the Vietnamese Refugees in Lan Cao’s Monkey Bridge and The Lotus and the Storm. Review of International American Studies, 18(2), 101–116. https://doi.org/10.31261/rias.18025

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Özgür Atmaca

ozgur.atmca@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9261-3987

Affiliation:

Başkent University, Türkiye Turkey

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Özgür Atmaca is an English Language lecturer at Başkent University. He graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature at Hacettepe University and received his M.A. degree in American Culture and Literature at Başkent University. He is currently a PhD student in the Department of American Culture and Literature at Hacettepe University. He is interested in the representation of class, racial, and ethnic conflicts in cultural, historical, and literary texts from nineteenth century onward.

Postal Address: Başkent University, School of Foreign Languages, Eskişehir Yolu 20. km. Bağlıca Campus, Etimesgut, 06790 Ankara/TURKEY

Defne Ersin Tutan

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9863-3636

Affiliation:

Başkent University, Türkiye Turkey

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Defne ERSİN TUTAN earned her BA degree on English Language and Literature and her MA and PhD degrees on British Cultural Studies from Hacettepe University, Turkey. She is Assistant Professor at the Department of American Culture and Literature and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Science and Letters at Başkent University, Turkey. She has worked extensively on the intersection of postmodern and postcolonial discourses, with a special interest in their impact on the representation of alternative histories. Her recent research has focused on historical adaptations and on history as adaptation, as well as biopics and films that foreground these issues.

Postal Address: Başkent University, Department of American Culture and Literature, Faculty of Science and Letters, Eskişehir Yolu 20. km. Bağlıca Campus, Etimesgut, 06790 Ankara/TURKEY

Vol. 18 No. 2 (2025)
Published: 2026-01-09

eISSN: 1991-2773

10.31261/RIAS

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University of Silesia Press

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Collective Trauma and Survival of the Vietnamese Refugees in Lan Cao’s Monkey Bridge and The Lotus and the Storm

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Keywords:

Özgür Atmaca

Defne Ersin Tutan

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