2 - Foucauldian Perspectives on the Ethics of the Individual in Agricultural Cooperatives within Vietnam's Market Socialist Economy

This research paper presents a qualitative investigation of the ethics of the individual within agricultural cooperatives located in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, set against the backdrop of the nation’s market socialist economy. Employing diverse methods, including narrative interviews, focus group discussions, concept mapping, and participant observation, the study provides insights into the complex interplay between individual agency, power dynamics, and governmentality. Michel Foucault’s conceptual framework underpins the analysis.

Through an analysis of the qualitative data, the research reveals that the individualization of responsibilities for livelihoods and welfare within the agricultural cooperatives of the Mekong Delta is less a matter of individual choice and more a product of the prevailing social and economic orders that govern the lives and work of cooperative members.

Narratives from interviews, dialogues within focus groups, concept maps, and participant observations emphasize the pervasive influence of state-regulated discourse, power dynamics, and surveillance mechanisms on the ethical choices made by individuals within these cooperative structures. This ethical imperative emerges as a complex interplay between social order and individual agency, wherein individuals navigate their roles and responsibilities.

The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the ethical dimensions of individual agency in market socialist economies. By integrating Foucauldian concepts into a comprehensive qualitative approach, this study uncovers the moral imperatives inherent in the individualization of responsibilities for livelihoods and welfare within the cooperative context, shedding light on broader questions about ethics, power, and social organization in this unique economic landscape.