The Vietnamese Dan Bâu
In Vietnam and its diaspora, the dan bâu monochord zither is a symbol of cultural pride. Based on fieldwork conducted in Vietnam and in diaspora communities between 2015--2017, this study of the dan bâu argues that the instrument is a site where state institutions, individual musicians, and audiences in Vietnam and the diaspora articulate myriad narratives of personal and national identities. In contemporary Vietnam, the state maintains a discourse that positions the dan bâu as a musical representative of national culture, rooted in an imagined past.