Unravelling the threads: The evolving complexities of the highland textile trade in northern Viet Nam and beyond
Author(s):
Anderson, Lindsay
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
M.A.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : McGill University (Canada), 2010.
Pages:
158
Language:
English
Abstract:
Against the backdrop of government economic liberalization policies beginning in 1986, Viêt Nam’s tourism industry has expanded rapidly since the 1990s. From this, one dominant trade that has emerged has been the marketing and distribution of hand-embroidered textiles produced by upland ethnic minorities, such as the Hmong and Yao, by lowland Vietnamese traders. This trade, then, offers a lens through which to critically analyze the complex relationships between ethnic majority and minority groups in Viêt Nam. Drawing upon qualitative research, I investigate the shape and scope of these multi-ethnic textile commodity chains, and I draw focus to the individuals navigating different stages of the chains and how their interactions with one another are socially and culturally embedded. What emerges is a picture of the divergent understandings of highland minorities and their culture that remain in Viêt Nam, despite closer interactions between lowland Vietnamese and highlanders thanks to this tourism trade.