VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF LINGUISTICS AND CULTURE OF ENGLISH SPEAKING

COUNTRIES

GRADUATION PAPER 

IDENTITY NEGOTIATION IN 

INTERFAITH RELATIONSHIPS

Supervisor: NGUYỄN THANH HÀ, Ph.D

Student: NGUYỄN THU TRANG

Course: QH2016.F1.E1

HÀ NỘI – 2020
 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ

KHOA NGÔN NGỮ VÀ VĂN HOÁ CÁC NƯỚC NÓI TIẾNG ANH

KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

THOẢ HIỆP NHÂN DẠNG TRONG 

MỐI QUAN HỆ KHÁC TÔN GIÁO

Giáo viên hướng dẫn: NGUYỄN THANH HÀ

Sinh viên: NGUYỄN THU TRANG

Khóa: QH2016.F1.E1

HÀ NỘI – 2020
 ABSTRACT

In the context of urbanisation and mobility, there has been an increasing number of
interfaith relationships, where different religious identities are frequently challenged and
compromised. Although identity negotiation is necessary and crucial in achieving identity
attunement in any intercultural relationships, interfaith couples are encountering
difficulties regarding communication and identity negotiation. Given that, this paper was
conducted to examine the extent to which religious/non-religious identity is negotiated
and the factors contributing to the final negotiation outcome. With the use of the identity
narrative approach, this qualitative study looks into three interfaith couples through my
personal networks to understand the negotiation process taking place in their
relationships. The participants are of Catholic and non-religious backgrounds, with their
relationship statuses varying from dating, engaged to married. The data was collected via
in-depth interviews and analysed by thematic coding. The negotiation process of religious
identity reported in this study are characterised in two extremes, either continuity of
religious identity or apostasy. Similarly, non-religious identity has been compromised in
different levels, including the maintenance of non-religious identity and the affiliation of
religious identity. The findings also suggest a one-way pattern in the religious identity
negotiation process based on gender. The three prominent factors contributing to the
negotiation process and its outcome recorded in this study include religious discussions,
religious salience and orientation, and family hierarchy. Acknowledging the powerful
impact of cultural factors on religious identity negotiation, this study raises the
implications for further research into how this negotiation process is facilitated/hindered
by the deep-seated elements in each cultural context.