Identifying the Channels for the Dissemination of Reading in Feudal Vietnamese Society

Abstract

This article applies the Diffusion of Innovations Theory to identify and analyse three groups of channels for the dissemination of reading in feudal Vietnamese society, including: formal dissemination channels associated with the Confucian educational system and the imperial examination system; textual dissemination channels through forms of knowledge preservation and circulation such as handwritten books, woodblocks, stone steles, and communal documents; and interpersonal dissemination channels through social networks such as teacher-student relationships, families, lineages, and village communities. The findings reveal that reading was disseminated through multiple channels, yet in an uneven and highly selective manner. Access to and practice of reading were concentrated primarily among a small group possessing educational opportunities and material resources whilst the majority of the population was constrained by barriers related to literacy, educational institutions, and socio-economic conditions. Consequently, reading in feudal society was not a universal practice but was shaped by structures of social stratification and mechanisms of knowledge dissemination. These dissemination channels therefore not only spread knowledge but also contributed to maintaining and reproducing inequalities in access to knowledge among social groups.