Polluted and polluting: a view from the borderland
- completed -
This Ph.D. research focuses on investigating the social-cultural life of the Nung ethnicity living in the border provinces of Vietnam and China. Ranking seventh in population among other ethnicities in Vietnam, the Nung have not received much attention from scholars, either domestically or internationally. The recent opening-up between Vietnam and China has led to profound changes in the life of Nung people living at the border of Vietnam. Improvement of living standards goes hand-in-hand with intense transformations in cultural practices and social relationships. This research thus aims at exploring the trends of cultural development and ethnic affiliations of the Nung, especially in the context of their close relationship with the Zhuang nationality in China. The research site chosen is Lang Son province, where 31% of the Nung population live.