From fields to factory: Rural transformation and Ethnic minority women’s empowerment in the periphery of globalisation. A Qualitative case study in the northern Vietnam uplands

Abstract

This thesis examines how globalisation driven rural transformation changes occupational activities and opportunities and how this in turn, shapes aspirations and empowerment among Dao women, an ethnic minority community in Ban Luoc village, in the northern Vietnam Uplands. In order to investigate this, a qualitative cases study approach was applied through a field visit in Ban Luoc for 14 days, where data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, observations and participatory methods. To theorise the research issue, a theoretical framework on rural transformation was used in order to examine how structural changes in occupational activities occur. These theoretical insights were complemented by a framework on empowerment through Kabeer (1999) and capacity to aspire through Appadurai (2004) to analyse how these changes shape Dao women’ s aspiration and empowerment. The findings showed a clear shift from subsistence farming to wage labour in industrial zones, as the dominant occupational activity among Dao women. Rural transformation can therefore be seen in the village through this shift, combined with enhanced connectivity through improved infrastructure, emergence of boarding schools and internet access. This shift has created new aspirations among Dao women, concerning financial independence and consumption. This shift has further enabled opportunities in the form of later marriage, financial independence, increased access to education, while structural constraints continue to limit Dao women's empowerment. This research draws conclusions on how broader global processes shape Dao women's empowerment through rural transformation and social media through the spread of new ideals and lifestyles. It raises questions about the complex relation between empowerment within limiting structures, and between agency and adaptation.