Work

Internalization and contestation of ‘bare life’ and illegality within undocumented Vietnamese migrants’ discourse in Germany and the UK

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The past 30 years has witnessed the growth of a sizable population of precarious Vietnamese migrants in Europe who hail from rural or working-class backgrounds and arrive via illicit border crossings. Informal Vietnamese-language terms used for the lack of legal status or right to work include the pejorative ‘người rơm’ (strawman) in the UK and ‘không quần aó’ (naked) in Germany, evoking Agamben’s state of ‘bare life’. In this article, we explore the varied use and interpretations of such Vietnamese slang to investigate the degree to which migrants internalize the stigma of their marginal social status and/or contest and reappropriate discourse to justify their position. These ‘hidden transcripts’ are employed in relation to both the state and also the established, regularized Vietnamese diaspora, revealing the tensions and power hierarchies within marginalized minorities. This comparative analysis of linguistic agency and lived experiences amidst differential German and British migrant policies provides a more nuanced understanding about the reproduction—and potential disruption—of ‘illegality’ in everyday life.

Source: Migration Studies

DOI: 10.1093/migration/mnag045

Authors: Seb Rumsby, Trang Nguyen

Institutions: University of Birmingham, University of Erfurt

Language: English

Topic: Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,466