The social life of street food: exploring the social sustainability of street food in Hanoi, Vietnam

This research explores the social life of street food in Hanoi, Vietnam, using a conceptual framework of social sustainability. Although the economic benefits of street vending are widely recognised, little attention has previously been paid to the social aspects. Focusing specifically on the selling of street food through the lens of social sustainability, this research develops a conceptual framework from the literature. The framework comprised eight key themes: social justice, quality of life and well-being, participation, safety and security, social interactions and social networks, social inclusion, sense of place and cultural heritage and was applied empirically to the street food environment of Hanoi. The themes used in the framework were identified as the most pertinent in the literature and were grouped under three broad ideas – social justice, social relations and culture – and used to frame the thesis. The application of the social sustainability framework revealed important details about the social life and social function of the street food environment. It highlighted key areas where street food in Hanoi can be shown to contribute to the principles of social sustainability, such as regarding social relations, cultural heritage and sense of place. It also drew attention to areas that require improvement, including some aspects of social justice, for example, participation, safety and security and food hygiene. The findings of this research suggest the challenges identified that prevent the social sustainability of street food in Hanoi, often manifested themselves through the inequalities experienced between the different types of street food vendors, specifically itinerant or migrant vendors compared to local vendors with fixed selling locations. The thesis argues that the approach adopted in the research offers a useful tool for understanding the social functions of street vending which can be applied and adapted to examine the social sustainability of street food vending in other economic and political contexts

Awesome women and bad feminists: the role of online social networks and peer support for feminist practice in academia

In her book, ‘Bad Feminist’, Roxane Gay claims this label shamelessly, embracing the contradictory aspects of enacting feminist practice while fundamentally being ‘flawed human[s]’. This article tells a story inspired by and enacting Roxane Gay’s approach in academia, written by five cis-gendered women geographers. It is the story of a proactive, everyday feminist initiative to survive as women in an academic precariat fuelled by globalised, neoliberalised higher education. We reflect on what it means to be (bad) feminists in that context, and how we respond as academics. We share experiences of an online space used to support one another through post-doctoral life, a simple message thread, which has established an important role in our development as academics and feminists. This article, written through online collaboration, mirrors and enacts processes fundamental to our online network, demonstrating the significance and potential of safe digital spaces for peer support. Excerpts from the chat reflect critically on struggles and solutions we have co-developed. Through this, we celebrate and validate a strategy we know that we and others like us find invaluable for our wellbeing and survival. Finally, we reflect on the inherent limitations of exclusive online networks as tools for feminist resistance