Fashion, War, and National Identity: Prof. Martina Nguyen Co-Curates Landmark Exhibition

It may have started with a photograph.

In striking black-and-white, Madame Ngô Đình Nhu, the controversial First Lady of war-torn South Vietnam during the early 1960s, is pictured in an iconic and provocative pose. Dressed in a form-fitting white áo dài—the traditional Vietnamese national dress—she confidently aims, firing a revolver at a shooting range, one eye narrowed in concentration. As a child of Vietnamese refugees growing up in rural Texas idly flipping through a coffee table book, now Baruch Prof. Martina Thucnhi Nguyen had never seen anything like it.

That incendiary image of Madame Nhu would go on to become oddly prescient for Prof. Nguyen—its emotional impact, in part, shaping her career as a historian of French Colonial Vietnam. And now, in an even closer brush with the “Dragon Lady,” as she was stereotyped in the Western Press, Nguyen finds herself co-curating the new exhibition focusing on her iconic fashion, The Vietnamese Áo Dài in a Time of War: Fashion, Citizenship, and Nationalism (1954–1975)

“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would ever see these iconic áo dài garments, much less work with them,” Nguyen reflects. “We are proud to bring these important historical artifacts to the public, to highlight the agency of women and the Vietnamese American community in the history of the Vietnam War." These are stories seldom told.

The exhibition, also co-curated by Dr. Ann Marie Leshkowich (Holy Cross), and Dr. Tuong Vu (University of Oregon), opened at the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA on Spetember 11, 2025. It honors the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War while reexamining the áo dài as both a practical garment and a charged political symbol.

Featuring thirty historic and contemporary pieces—including more than a dozen actually worn by Madame Nhu and her successor Madame Thiệu—the exhibition shows how the áo dài became a vehicle for expressing solidarity, dissent, and national pride - sentiments both traditional and modern, its meanings shifting across generations and geographies.

Fashion and war, though rarely considered together, turn out to be deeply intertwined. “Clothing can be an especially potent political weapon,” notes Dr. Leshkowich. “During the Vietnam War, high-profile women on very different political sides shared a sense that Vietnam’s national costume was an important symbol of culture and heritage.”

Contemporary designs expand the story, from garments celebrated in Vietnamese American communities to the first áo dài worn on the Oscars red carpet. These examples show how the national costume continues to inspire, adapt, and resonate on the global stage. As Dr. Vu observes, “Nothing is like the áo dài as the symbol of female beauty in Vietnam, yet its history also reflects the fascinating evolution of the country's culture and society in the past 100 years.”

Prof. Charlotte Brooks’s New Book Traces One Family’s Journey Across War, Revolution, and Belonging

Prof. Charlotte Brooks's new book, The Moys of New York and Shanghai: One Family's Extraordinary Journey Through War and Revolution, is now on pre-order from the University of California Press. 

Born to Chinese immigrant parents, the Moy siblings grew up in an America that questioned their citizenship and denied their equality. Sophisticated and self-consciously modern, they challenged limitations and stereotypes in the United States and sought new opportunities in China’s tumultuous republic. Charlotte Brooks’s gripping tale follows the family back and forth across the Pacific and through two world wars, China’s Nationalist and Communist revolutions, and the Cold War—events that the siblings and their spouses helped shape. The Moys’ incredible story offers a kaleidoscopic view of an entire generation’s struggle for identity and acceptance.

Baruch College Ranks No. 1 for Value in The Wall Street Journal for the Third Consecutive Year

CUNY claimed the top seven spots on The Wall Street Journal’s best value colleges list, with Baruch College ranked first for the third year running due to its affordable costs and strong graduate earnings. Following Baruch were Hunter College, Brooklyn College, City College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Queens College and Lehman College. New York City College of Technology placed 22nd nationally. 

The ranking, developed by The Wall Street Journal in partnership with College Pulse and Statista, estimates how quickly graduates earn back the cost of their degree based on how much additional income they receive. As part of this analysis, it was determined that graduates of eight CUNY colleges on the list take on average less than 1 year to recoup the cost of their degree. 

American Contemporary Music Ensemble Opens Baruch PAC Season

The American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) will open the Baruch Performing Arts Center’s 2025–26 season with Soundscapes: Music for Film and Beyond on Monday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. The concert, part of the Silberman Recital Series, explores the intersection of contemporary classical music and cinema, featuring works by Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Ennio Morricone, Nico Muhly, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and ACME’s artistic director, Clarice Jensen.

Founded in 2004, ACME has been hailed by NPR as “contemporary music dynamos” and has performed internationally at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Sydney Opera House.

Location: Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street, between 3rd and Lexington Avenues)

Tickets: $35, available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

Announcing "This is How I Embed Career Readiness” Faculty Blog Series

Interested career-focused pedagogy and/or career-connected learning? Check out Starr’s “This is How I Embed Career Readiness” Faculty Blog Series.

Inspired by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology’s “This is How I Teach” Blog, this faculty blog series features Baruch faculty who have made career readiness a meaningful part of their teaching.

In each post, faculty share how they embed career readiness into their courses—and give us a glimpse into who they are beyond the syllabus. Stories highlight diverse approaches, personal insights, and practical tips from across our teaching community.

https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/starr/category/this-is-how-i-embed-career-readiness/