Youth participation in Vietnamese civil society: Meanings, motivations, and emotions

Primary investigator: Yên Mai, Department of Sociology, Uppsala University.

Funding: PhD Project.

Duration: 2017 – 2022.

Project description: The aim of this research is to investigate the motivations, emotions, and experiences of young people who participate in different civil society programs in Vietnam, with a focus on the meanings they attach to their participation. Given that the research takes place in an authoritarian regime setting, the study offers empirical insights that problematize the objectivist conception of civil society as a distinct, autonomous sphere from the state. It utilizes qualitative research methods, namely participant observation and in-depth interviews with youth who engage in various types of Vietnamese civil society organizations, including NGOs, social enterprises, and grassroots networks. The study contributes to ongoing conceptual debates on participation and civil society, particularly the collective efforts to problematize what participation entails, the process through which it unfolds, and the various interests embedded in this process.