Programme de bourses "Echanges Universitaires"

(Re)challenging Norms and Values in (Post-)Socialist Vietnam. Decision Making Strategies within the Hô (Household) and Beyond

Abstract

Since the onset of doi moi (“the process of renovation”) which officially started in 1986, Vietnam has been undergoing complex processes of transformation which prove to be beneficial for some, but disadvantageous for others. This Postdoc project starts with the observation that empirical data on socio-economic change occurring in urban Vietnam is scant. The aim of my Postdoc is to qualitatively analyse socio-economic change that takes place in the urban Red River Delta (Vietnam). In 2010 I will undertake a restudy of previous research which I conducted in Hanoi and Nam Dinh City between 2004 and 2006. In this multi-sited and longitudinal investigation key concerns will be taken up in order to make substantive comparisons and to investigate decision making strategies within the hô (household) which will demonstrate how norms and values are being challenged.

Based on the analysis of first research data conducted between 2004 and 2006 five hypotheses have been elaborated which can be cross-checked against the new research data. The five main objectives of the project will be analysed qualitatively and contribute to the understanding of economic, social and religious domains which form part of the complex phenomenon of socio-economic change in (post-)socialist Vietnam. Firstly, the project aims to investigate if and how household strategies and ways of securing a livelihood have been influenced by Vietnam joining the WTO in 2007; secondly, to analyse the importance of economic capital with respect to decision making strategies within the hô; thirdly, to explain how different generations define norms and values with respect to gender; fourthly, to determine whether religious affiliation leads to divisions within Nam Dinh City, and fifthly, to strive towards an understanding of whether norms and values are valid indicators of socio-economic change.

This research will serve the advancement of interdisciplinary Southeast Asian studies as these complex processes of socio-economic change which take place worldwide challenge the cohabitation of generations on the one hand and the social cohesion between richer and poorer inhabitants on the other. Furthermore, I believe that this research will provide the basis for valuable comparisons in social anthropology and all studies trying to understand how norms and values are being contested in the realm of everyday life in (post-)socialist societies.

Contacts

Dr. phil. Angelica Wehrli                      
Social Anthropologist                          
Institute of Social Anthropology – Ethnology                                       
University of Bern                         
Länggassstrasse 49a
CH - 3000 Bern 9
+ 41 31 631 89 98 (office) / + 41 79 415 95 27 (cell)
wehrli@anthro.unibe.ch

Partner Institution in Vietnam
Prof. Dr. Vuong Xuan Tinh
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences
Institute of Anthropology
1 Lieu Giai Street
Hanoi
Vietnam
viendantochoc@vnn.vn
znoj@anthro.unibe.ch

Partner Institution in Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Hans-Rudolf Wicker
and Prof. Dr. Heinzpeter Znoj
Institute of Social Anthropology
University of Bern .
Länggassstrasse 49a
CH - 3000 Bern
wicker@anthro.unibe.ch

Selection of pictures from previous field research

Socialist advertising in Nam Dinh City (April 2006)

Map of Nam Dinh City and Nam Dinh Province