To start off the new year and Spring semester, the Vietnam Studies Center (VSC) warmly invites you to the first talk of our Spring 2026 The World Beyond a Book series, hosted by poet and journalist Paul Christiansen.

Speaking Truth to Power: Philip Jones Griffiths
Speaker: David Drake
Time: Thursday, 8 January 2026 | 11:30–13:00
Venue: Common Area, Floor 2, Fulbright University Vietnam
Registration: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/utTwpbm4gt

A limited number of bánh mì will be available for registered participants.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase on site.

This talk traces Philip Jones Griffiths’s rise from humble beginnings to becoming a world-renowned Magnum photographer, with particular focus on his 35 years of work in Vietnam. Over a five-decade photographic career, Jones Griffiths visited more than 130 countries, using his camera to expose social injustice, the horrors and human suffering of war, and the dangers of fascism and authoritarian regimes.

Philip Jones Griffiths believed that photography owes its status to its unique ability to capture the defining moments of human existence with clarity and moral force. He described his life’s mission as “to spread light on the dark shadows of the world,” a conviction that made him articulate, outspoken, and fearless in speaking truth to power and holding authority to account.

Beyond his skill and integrity as a documentary photographer, Jones Griffiths was also a gifted storyteller, able to captivate audiences through compelling narrative. For this reason, his work—and the light it sheds on the human condition—continues to resonate powerfully today, particularly in these troubled times.

About the speaker
David Drake is an independent writer and curator who has curated over 500 exhibitions and published 32 photobooks featuring work from five continents. His recent work focuses on photography and contemporary art in the Middle East and North Africa, including curating the RANEEN Festival (Muscat, 2024) and Shifting Sands exhibitions in Spain, following his receipt of the PHotoESPAÑA–Casa Árabe NUR Award (2023). Drake was Director of Ffotogallery, the national photography agency of Wales (2008–2022), and Festival Director of Diffusion: Wales International Festival of Photography between 2013 and 2021.

We warmly welcome faculty, students, researchers, and members of the wider community to join us for this conversation, and to begin the new year together with reflection, dialogue, and shared learning.