SSRScientific and Social Research2661-43322981-9946Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.10.26689/ssr.v8i8.15320ArticleThe Dual Faces of Mobility: A Study on the Resilience Mechanism of Border Ethnic Communities amid Cross-Border Population Mobility—A Case Study of Menglian County, Yunnan Provincehttps://artdesignp.com/journal/SSR/8/8/10.26689/ssr.v8i8.15320SunQian2026882026-08-31There are numerous border ports in the southwest border region of China, with inbound personnel with diverse and complex identity backgrounds, close exchanges among cross-border ethnic groups, and complex topographical conditions that pose severe challenges to border governance. Against this backdrop, ethnic communities in the southwest border areas are facing multiple challenges. As a normal feature of border regions, cross-border population mobility exerts both risk and resource impacts on community development. Taking Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County in Yunnan Province as the research area, this paper examines how cross-border mobility shapes the resilience mechanism of border ethnic minority communities based on cultural pluralism theory and community resilience theory. The study finds that on the one hand, irregular mobility phenomena such as irregular migration, cross-border crimes, and sudden public security events impact community governance and expose the institutional vulnerability of communities; on the other hand, border folk trade, cross-border employment, kinship networks, and cultural exchanges inject economic resilience and social capital into communities. Instead of passively bearing the impacts of mobility, border communities construct a dynamic equilibrium between openness and control. Through the resilience transformation of social networks, the localized adaptation of grassroots governance, and the mutual identification and cohesion of different ethnic cultures, communities convert potential risks of mobility into adaptive resources. This paper proposes the concept of “resilience in mobility,” reveals the generation logic of community resilience in border areas, and provides practical implications for revitalizing border areas and enriching residents, as well as the modernization of border governance.Community resilience, Border ethnic community, Resilience in mobility

[1] Norris FH, Stevens SP, Pfefferbaum B, et al., 2008, Community Resilience as a Metaphor, Theory, Set of Capacities, and Strategy for Disaster Readiness. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41(1–2): 127–150. [2] Davidson DJ, 2010, The Applicability of the Concept of Resilience to Social Systems: Some Sources of Optimism and Nagging Doubts. Society & Natural Resources, 23(12): 1135–1149. [3] Kwok AH, Doyle EH, Becker J, et al., 2016, What is “Social Resilience”? Perspectives of Disaster Researchers, Emergency Management Practitioners, and Policymakers in New Zealand. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2016(19): 197–211. [4] Kymlicka W, 1995, Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights. Clarendon Press, Oxford. [5] Bergeman CS, Nelson NA, 2024, Building a Dynamic Adaptational Process Theory of Resilience (ADAPTOR): Stress Exposure, Reserve Capacity, Adaptation, and Consequence. The American Psychologist, 79(8): 1063–1075. [6] People’s Government of Menglian County, 2024, Announcement on Administrative Division and Geographical Overview of Menglian County Border. [7] Menglian County Bureau of Statistics, 2024, 2023 Statistical Communique on National Economic and Social Development of Menglian County. [8] He M, 2019, Cross-border Ethnic Groups and Border Security. Ethnic Publishing House, Beijing. [9] Menglian County Bureau of Statistics, 2023, 2022 Statistical Communique on National Economic and Social Development of Menglian County. [10] Menglian County Bureau of Statistics, 2025, 2024 Statistical Communique on National Economic and Social Development of Menglian County. [11] Menglian County Bureau of Statistics, 2026, 2025 Statistical Communique on National Economic and Social Development of Menglian County. [12] People’s Government of Menglian County, 2025, 2025 Government Work Report of Menglian County. [13] Port Office of Pu’er City, 2025, Statistical Bulletin of Menglian Port Operation (2024–2025). [14] Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Menglian County, 2025, Statistical Ledger of Cross-border Inbound Sugarcane Industry in 2025 Crushing Season. [15] Lu H, 2017, Transnational Marriage Immigration in Border Governance: Characteristics, Dynamics and Impacts — Based on Investigation of Two Border Counties in Yunnan. Journal of Yunnan Minzu University (Social Sciences), 2017(5): 62–70. [16] Lu H, 2021, Research on Transnational Marriage Immigration in Border Governance. Social Sciences Academic Press, Beijing. [17] Menglian County Border Trade Development Service Center, 2024, Monthly Statistical Report of Border Folk Trade (2022–2024). [18] Meng’a Border Police Station, 2025, Statistical Ledger of Entry-Exit Personnel Inspection during the 2025 Sacred Fish Festival. [19] Liu C, 2022, From “Binong Saihai” to Community: The Development of Inter-ethnic Embedded Social Structure. Journal of Northwest Minzu University (Philosophy and Social Sciences), 2022(5): 66–75. [20] Zhang Y, 2020, Dynamic Resilience and Bureaucratic Coordination under the Transformation of Risk Patterns. Nanjing Journal of Social Sciences, 2020(9): 6–23 + 57. [21] Comprehensive Management Office of Mengma Town, 2025, Special Report on Three-Year Governance Effect of Longhai Villager Group (2022–2024).