To what extent, and precisely how, are nationalism and patriotism transnational processes? Youth Mobilization in Vichy Indochina and Its Legacies analyzes the causes and consequences of state-sponsored patriotic youth associations during World War II in French Indochina. Providing an historical account of the transnational policy process of youth mobilization during World War II, this book describes how officials transplanted French doctrines to Indochina with sensitivity toward the varying local political contexts and cultural traditions the French believed they had found there. Engaging the work of Benedict Anderson on nationalism in the Third World, Raffin details the mechanisms by which a set of French colonial practices and discourses sponsored by the colonial state promoted nationalism among local youth and helped to lead the countries of the former French Indochina toward militaristic regimes. This well-researched volume provides a valuable contribution to a period of Indochinese history that is still little studied, and is important reading for students and scholars of colonial history who seek a long-term historical perspective on empire and post-empire state building.
