Charles Keith

Charles Keith is Professor of History at Michigan State University, specializing in Southeast Asian studies with a focus on Vietnam. He serves as co-Principal Investigator for the NEH-funded MSU Vietnam Group Archive digitization project.

Research interests include Vietnamese colonial history, religious transformations under colonialism, and transnational migration patterns. His work examines intersections of political power and cultural identity in post-colonial societies.

Publications demonstrate consistent focus on Vietnamese historical narratives, with recent works examining war legacies and diaspora communities. Methodologies combine archival research with oral history traditions.

Awards:

• Harry J. Benda Book Prize (2015)
• Alf Andrew Heggoy Book Prize (2013)
• John Gilmary Shea Book Prize (2013)

As former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vietnamese Studies (2018-2022), he has mentored emerging scholars in Southeast Asian historiography.