In "Religion in Vietnam," Hue-Tam Ho Tai writes, "...both religion and politics are about power, conceived differently to be sure. This shared concern for power has been both a bond and an enduring source of tension between the two throughout Vietnamese history" (25). Based on the readings about the village, religion, and war (weeks 7-10), choose a specific aspect of a religious practice or belief, on either the state or the village level, and discuss its relationship to political power. Be sure to use your example to discuss both sources of tension and reinforcement. Which tendency is stronger, and why?

To explore the complexity of the power issues connected to religion, you should be sure to focus on just one aspect of religious practice. You could, for example, choose ancestor worship or the belief in a village tutelary spirit. From there, you can choose between two approaches:
1) Explore the question historically. Consider how the relationship between ancestor worship and political power has changed over time. What is the significance of the history which you have traced?
2) Consider in detail one specific historical period. For example, you might consider what tensions between the state and local society are currently being expressed in the revival of worship of local deities as part of doi moi's relaxation of restrictions on religious worship. What broader lessons does this example have for understanding the relationship between religion, power, and politics?

Note: The key for this essay is to formulate a thesis statement and construct an argument based on your analysis of how one specific aspect of religion conflicts with or reinforces political power, and which tendency is stronger. You should present the viewpoint you will support in the first paragraph, and use the rest of the paper to support your thesis. Be sure to use specific examples from the readings to support your arguments.

REFERENCES:
As with the first paper, you will be expected to follow the citation guidelines set by American Ethnologist. A complete copy of these guidelines is available on-line, but the following examples should be sufficient for this essay:

TEXT REFERENCES
These (including references to personal communications) are placed in the body of the text, not as notes. For each quotation or statement specific enough to need a reference, place the citation in parentheses (author's name, year of publication of work quoted or referred to, page(s) cited), thus: (Doe 1968) or (Rowe 1893:115-119).

NOTES
All notes follow the text, beginning on a new page, and are restricted to material that cannot be included in the text. Notes are numbered consecutively throughout the text by superscript numerals.

REFERENCES CITED
Do not include any publication not cited in the text. References Cited must begin on a new page, and all entries must be double-spaced, listed alphabetically by last name of senior author, and chronologically for two or more titles by the same author(s). The typed layout should conform to the printed layout as follows:

Driver, Harold E.

1956 An Integration of Functional, Evolutionary, and Historical Theory by Means of Correlations. Bloomington: Indiana University Publication in Anthropology and Linguistics, Memoir 12.

1966 Geographical-Historical versus Psycho-Functional Explanations of Kin Avoidances. Current Anthropology 7:131-182.

Miller, George A.

1954 Psycholinguistics. In Handbook of Social Psychology II. Gardner Lindey, ed. Pp. 693-708. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Thibault, John W., and Harold H. Kelley

1959 The Social Psychology of Groups. New York: John Wiley.

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