Date: 29 November 2018 (Thursday) Time: 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm Venue: GH405

Topic: Rural Livelihoods Transformation and Meaning of a River: Ethnographic Study of Three Communities of the Mekong Delta

Abstract: This study is intended to challenge the image of the so-called ‘oppressed groups’ commonly conveyed in academia by providing accounts of their resilience and empowerment through storytelling and ethnography in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Scholarly representation of oppressed groups ended up reinforcing a negative image of minorities and rural people. This image is further institutionalized when drafting policies and projects, NGO practitioners and government representatives research, read and consider academic articles, drawing from the same pond of adjectives and phrases that scholars use. In this way, they help promote the negative image, while reinforcing categorization of what they call ‘oppressed,’ ‘disadvantaged,’ or ‘indigenous’ communities. This study aims to challenge this stereotypical image. First, it shows how these ‘oppressed groups’ call for development and wish to see a change in their ‘traditional’ world. Second, it argues that these inhabitants are often resilient and resourceful individuals, not desperate for external piety or help. This research highlights the glaring omission of these local demands in scholarly works produced by Western academics who often portray the locals as defenseless victims of modernization.

Speaker’s brief biography:After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language and Culture at Macerata University, Giulia Cuini continued her Master’s studies in Social Development at Beijing Normal University. She conducted research in rural Sichuan and travelled to some South-East Asian countries. Interested in rural development, NGOs and participatory approaches, she volunteered and lived on various farms before embarking on a PhD program in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University under the supervision of Dr. Karita Kan and Dr. Ben Ku.

Speaker: Ms. Giulia CUINI PhD Program Department of Applied Social Sciences

Research Student Seminar Series 5

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University