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International Review of Humanities Studies

International Review of Humanities Studies

Abstract

The phenomenon of cross-border marriages between Vietnamese women and Chinese men is often reduced by mainstream media to simplified stereotypes—depicting them as victims of human trafficking, impoverished women seeking economic escape, or submissive "imported brides." Such depictions obscure the everyday realities through which these women confront and negotiate social stigma in a foreign socio-cultural environment. Drawing on narrative interviews with ten Vietnamese brides living in different regions of China, this study examines how stigma is experienced and negotiated through everyday survival strategies. Using a qualitative narrative approach, this research explores how participants respond to stigma through practices such as economic self-reliance, language acquisition, domestic labor, community-building, and selective identity performance. Rather than viewing identity as fixed, the findings suggest that hybrid or dual identities emerge through ongoing negotiations shaped by daily survival and social expectations. In this process, being “Chinese” in certain familial contexts while remaining “Vietnamese” within personal and community spaces becomes a practical way of maintaining dignity and stability.

Bahasa Abstract

Fenomena perkawinan lintas negara antara perempuan Vietnam dan laki-laki Tiongkok kerap direduksi oleh media arus utama ke dalam stereotip yang disederhanakan—menampilkan mereka sebagai korban perdagangan manusia, perempuan miskin yang berupaya melarikan diri dari keterbatasan ekonomi, atau “pengantin impor” yang pasif dan patuh. Representasi semacam ini menutupi realitas keseharian yang dijalani perempuan-perempuan tersebut dalam menghadapi dan menegosiasikan stigma sosial di lingkungan sosio-kultural yang asing. Berdasarkan wawancara naratif dengan sepuluh pengantin perempuan asal Vietnam yang tinggal di berbagai wilayah di Tiongkok, penelitian ini mengkaji bagaimana stigma dialami dan dinegosiasikan melalui strategi bertahan hidup dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.Dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif naratif, penelitian ini menelusuri cara para partisipan merespons stigma melalui praktik-praktik seperti kemandirian ekonomi, penguasaan bahasa, kerja domestik, pembentukan jejaring komunitas, serta performa identitas yang selektif. Alih-alih memandang identitas sebagai sesuatu yang tetap dan statis, temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa identitas hibrid atau ganda muncul melalui proses negosiasi yang berkelanjutan, yang dibentuk oleh tuntutan bertahan hidup sehari-hari dan ekspektasi sosial. Dalam proses ini, menjadi “Tiongkok” dalam konteks keluarga tertentu sekaligus tetap “Vietnam” dalam ruang personal dan komunitas berfungsi sebagai strategi praktis untuk mempertahankan martabat dan stabilitas hidup.

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