Tri Phuong

Tri Phuong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pacific and Asian Studies at the University of Victoria, specializing in digital media, youth culture, and social movements in contemporary Vietnam. His research examines how new media technologies intersect with cultural expressions under authoritarian regimes through the lens of play and vernacular tactics.

His educational background includes:

• PhD from Yale University
• MPP from Harvard Kennedy School
• BA from Harvard University

Dr. Phuong's research centers on digital resistance strategies and cultural translations in late-socialist contexts, with emphasis on youth-driven social movements. He investigates how mockery of authority figures, vernacular digital practices, and semiotics of play enable Vietnamese youth to navigate censorship while pursuing aspirations in globalization. His work bridges anthropologies of the state, media, and youth across Southeast Asia and diasporic communities.

His publications reveal consistent focus on digital media's role in authoritarian contexts, analyzing underground visual culture (2021) and body politics through selfies/sainthood (2017). Both works demonstrate how vernacular tactics subvert censorship while connecting Vietnamese youth to broader Inter-Asian social movement networks.

No specific scientific awards are documented in available materials.

Dr. Phuong teaches core courses including Introduction to Pacific and Asian Studies, Digital Asia, and Globalization/Cosmopolitanism. His pre-academic career included community organizing, development consulting, and journalism in Vietnam-focused contexts. Current research grants are not specified in public materials.

No active research labs or specialized teams are referenced in institutional documentation.