In the light of interbeing: a storied process of understanding a young Vietnamese child in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This storied paper reflects my awakening to the notion of interbeing, a core concept of Engaged Buddhism posed by the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh. My awareness was heightened in writing about a young Vietnamese child, Dylan, with whom I engaged in an early childhood study in Aotearoa New Zealand. Underpinned by Chen’s Asia as Method, interbeing is considered a research orientation for decolonization, an alternative way of knowing and thinking in mutuality and relatedness. In the light of interbeing, the writing is a process of living my lives and the others’ lives as well as transforming myself to see with the child. The paper conveys critical moments in my writing path with the potential to integrate non-Western philosophy into qualitative research with young children.

Keywords:

• Asia as method
• interbeing
• decolonization
• Young Vietnamese children
• researching as storying

Acknowledgments

I would thank to the child Dylan, Thu, and the teachers in Manuka Center who participated in this study. I gratefully thank my superb supervisor, Prof Janet S. Gaffney, for her inspiring and great feedback in the development of this paper. Also, my thanks go to the reviewers who gave me insightful comments on the beautiful process of storying this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Kiribati is a Pacific island nation.

2 From an Engaged Buddhist lens, there are multiple truths inside and outside our minds.

3 All names of people and settings are pseudonyms.

4 Yes, both mothers, me and the one in the novel, affectionately call our sons, Little Dog.

5 Vietnamese here refers to the language of Viet (Kinh) people and the official language of Vietnam.

6 In Viet tradition, rice is the main food in main meals (lunch and dinner). The phrase “đi ăn cơm” (go to eat rice) refers to having a meal.

7 Tiếp means being in touch with and continuing.

8 Hiện means realizing and making here and know.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hoa Pham

Hoa Pham received her PhD in Education from the Marie Clay Research Center, Faculty of Education and Social Work, the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Hanoi Metropolitan University, Vietnam. She is also a consultant for NGO projects of promoting theearly literacy development of young children from minor-ethnic communities, and a curriculum developer at one private preschool, Ako Kindergarten, in Vietnam. Her work focuses on young children’s narratives and identities, dialogical approach, and the decolonization in early childhood studies. Her interest is to transform theories into beneficial practices with and for young children, the teachers, and families.