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Thirteenth conference-debate – EFEO When we talk about Vietnamese cultural traditions and, more broadly, Vietnamese society before Western influence, we often imagine a gender inequality that privileges men at the expense of women. According to this simplistic vision, the latter are frozen in the immutable image of the submissive woman: when they are praised and highlighted, it is in light of their sacrifices made for their husbands and children. Even when they commit to the patriotic cause and their bravery, their “heroism” and their “indomitability” are glorified, it is generally in reference to the “loyalty” and the “đảm đang” quality that they demonstrate. According to the commonly accepted meaning of this quality, which does not care much about the etymological meaning of the term, women have the capacity to take on multiple tasks for the benefit of others, their family and their country. My first research on the situation of women during the first half of the 20th century led me to take a critical look at these stereotypical representations of women in Vietnamese pre-colonial traditions. At the end of this questioning, I became convinced that the emergence of Vietnamese "feminism" should not be thought of as resulting exclusively from Western cultural contact. It finds its origin in powerful endogenous elements strongly anchored in Việt cultural traditions. In this conference, I will share with you my thoughts on the role and place of women in pre-colonial society, on their feelings, their behaviors and their sociability, their responsibilities and, naturally, on their suffering and their happiness, on the harshness of their existence as well as on their pleasures and joys whether in times of peace or war. My sources consist of government laws and policies, village customs and folklore (to the extent that data is available, as it is often oral), as well as classical literature whose authors were Confucian scholars who had for the most part achieved brilliant mandarin careers. Ms. Bùi Trân Phượng Doctor of History (Université Lyon-Lumière) Born in 1950 into a family of teachers, Ms. Bùi Trân Phượng has been teaching since 1972 in various Vietnamese and French universities as well as in programs developed by American universities in Vietnam. Since 2018, she has been teaching Sociology of Gender in the Master's program in Sociology at the Open University in HCM City and has participated in the development of the Thái Bình Dương University in Nha Trang, where she is a member of the University Council. Invited to the chair of the Francophone World at the Collège de France, she is currently working on the plural and open identities of Vietnam at the beginning of the 21st century.