The Soviet school of Visual Anthropology in Vietnam¹

As a sub-discipline of Anthropology, Visual Anthropology possesses a long-standing history of development and has become increasingly prevalent across centres of Anthropology and Ethnology. The analysis of the early development of Visual Anthropology, as well as the manner in which the discipline is structured and taught, must be situated within the specific historical and social contexts of each individual country. Accordingly, Visual Anthropology in the Soviet Union is no exception. It is therefore necessary to examine the current state of Visual Anthropology in Russia through the historical context of pre-Soviet Imperial Russia, the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and the Russian Federation (since 1991). In doing so, it becomes evident that Visual Anthropology in the Russian context has undergone distinct phases of development. A thorough understanding of these phases enables us to accurately identify and critically assess the modalities and extent of influence exerted by Visual Anthropology during both the Soviet and post-Soviet periods on the discipline of Anthropology in Vietnam. This article seeks to elucidate the developmental trajectories of Visual Anthropology in Russia across these historical periods and subsequently to analyse selected aspects of its influence on Vietnamese Anthropology.