MATERNAL CITIZENSHIP and COMMUNITY INTEGRATION AMONG VIETNAMESE BRIDES in CHINA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY in BORDERLAND and INLAND

Bo Yang, Shaanxi Normal University
Shuzhuo Li, Xi'an Jiaotong University
Mengjun Tang, China Population and development Research Center
Hua Wen, Beijing Office of United Nations Population Fund

In borderland and inland China where the immigration system exists, voluntary Vietnamese brides without legal identities are confronted with challenges of survival and well-being. This study targets at voluntary Vietnamese brides without official identities in rural borderland and inland China, and introduces maternal citizenship theory to discuss how they are accepted by local communities based on maternal roles, intimate connections, family contributions, flexibility and adaptability, and self-value. Using the qualitative analysis with information from depth interviews, this study reveals the current survival and development among the brides and how family members and relevant stakeholders accept these foreigners in communities. the results indicate that Vietnamese brides have maternal citizenship, which is treated as the local acceptance within the community. The processes of achieving maternal citizenship between borderland and inland are different. Those in borderland acquire maternal citizenship by contributing to families, whereas those in inland hardly have chance to contribute. Younger brides are more easily than the elders to acquire maternal citizenship by flexibility and adaptability. It is easier for those in borderland to achieve maternal citizenship by self-value, whereas it is more difficulty for those in inland to get accepted in this way.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, International Migration, Families, Unions and Households, Population and Development

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