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Mimi Thi Nguyen , The Gift of Freedom: War, Debt, and Other Refugee Passages (Durham, NC : Duke University Press , $23.95). Pp. 296. ISBN 978 0 8223 5239 6 .
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Mimi Thi Nguyen's new work, The Gift of Freedom: War, Debt, and Other Refugee Passages, argues that the American form of liberal empire and liberal war are defined by violence and "the gift of freedom." Nguyen asserts that "freedom" is far more than a slogan or jingoistic catchphrase; rather she calls on scholars to recognize freedom as a concept which must be unpacked and investigated in all its complexity, promise, and violent origins. Her work is largely theoretical, and it aims to speak to scholars in cultural studies and Asian American studies, as well as those interested in humanitarianism, visual culture, and the contemporary politics of the War on Terror.
Nguyen's book oscillates between an engagement with Vietnamese American history and a broader theoretical engagement with postcolonialism and US liberalism. She argues that there are direct linkages, both discursive and military, between the US's failed wars in Southeast Asia, the US wars in the Middle East and the US War on Terror "at home." Drawing on...