Subaltern struggles to access public spaces: Young rural migrants in Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

AbstractThis paper explores the relationships between youth who are rural labor migrants and public spaces in Hanoi, Vietnam. A host of constraints limit the access of these young subalterns to the city's public spaces, ranging from a shortage of such spaces in areas where they live, to limited leisure time, constrained mobility, and social stigmatisation. Yet, these young men and women still manage to use and enjoy a number of public spaces in Hanoi for socialisation and recreational purposes. In analysing the practices adopted by these youth to access and use these spaces, we bring a stronger focus on socio‐spatial critiques and everyday politics to existing understandings of rural migrant experiences in Vietnamese cities. We approach the everyday socio‐spatial practices of young labour migrants in Hanoi as a complex amalgamation of both their individual subjectivities, needs, and desires, and the multiple obstacles they face to engage with urban public spaces. By unpacking these tensions, our analysis uncovers the specific importance of informal sidewalk stalls and pedestrian streets for this engagement. The multiple ways by which the youth comply with or subtly resist expected norms in these spaces uncovers their creativity in developing a range of everyday politics and spatial negotiations. Despite their subaltern position, migrant youth are able to challenge the material and socio‐normative constraints they face in Hanoi to gain a respite from their harsh working conditions and pursue their desires for distinctively urban experiences.