Constructing Modernity in the Outskirts of the Global Economy. A Qualitative Case Study of Housing Modernisation in Rural Vietnam

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines how state-led housing modernisation is understood, constrained, andnegotiated in a Black Tay village in Nậm Dịch commune, northern Vietnam, under theNational Target Programme for New Rural Development (NTP-NRD). While officiallyframed as a poverty-reduction initiative, this study argues that housing modernisation alsofunctions as a broader project of social transformation, where concrete housing becomesassociated with dignity, progress and desired ways of living.The study adopts a qualitative case study approach based on semi-structured interviews andfield observations conducted during fieldwork in Nậm Dịch commune. The analysis draws onMichel Foucault’s concept of governmentality, Tania Murray Li’s notion of the “will toimprove,” and Norman Long’s actor-oriented approach.Findings demonstrate how development narratives around concrete housing have becomeinternalised at the local level, while simultaneously clashing with structural constraints suchas poverty, debt vulnerability, unequal access to support, and ambiguity in policyimplementation. Despite these constraints, villagers actively negotiate housingmodernisation, drawing on multiple rationales to align housing development with localconditions.Overall, the study demonstrates that housing modernisation in Nậm Dịch reflects a complexprocess where governance, structural inequalities and local negotiation shape both materialand social transformation.