Welcome to Diasporas, migration & identities

Findings and Achievements

FINDINGS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

The research project explored diaspora through a detailed case study of London's Chinatown. It investigated the role and meaning of Chinatown in the lives of Chinese people in London and the different -sometimes conflicting - interests and activities involved within this space. The research has shed new light on the experiences of this diverse population and their relations to each other and to Chinese populations elsewhere. The London case study demonstrates Chinatown's continuing practical importance and symbolic role in relation to identity, belonging and sense of being 'at home'.

Chinatowns have been crucial in the construction of 'Chinese diasporas'. They are the visible 'public face' of the population and 'private' community spaces, embodying both connection with other Chinese people and distinction from others. Chinatowns also reflect changing relations between Chinese populations and 'host' societies and for example policies on multiculturalism and immigration control. London's Chinatown, once seen as 'risky', is now an established feature of multicultural London. The project contributes to critical understanding of the complexity of diaspora. Many contemporary Chinese migrants experience not merely separation between a Chinese 'homeland' and their place of abode but also from their place of birth and have connections in many parts of the world. Chinatown was crucial to the construction of home for our participants, to their identity, and to affirming their sense of being Chinese. The research thus demonstrates the importance and complex meanings of space in relation to the diaspora.

The research used a combination of methods: ethnographic observation, street surveys and questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 30 representatives of Chinese organisations and other stakeholders; and 50 individuals with varied migrant backgrounds, statuses and personal characteristics. These explored Chinatown's importance in participants' daily lives and their sense of identity and belonging.

The results affirmed Chinatown's importance for London's Chinese population, especially newcomers for whom it provides practical support, information and formal and informal networks. Even those who rarely use Chinatown saw it as important, creating a sense of belonging and being 'at home'. The different interests and activities centred there may be conflicting but also complementary. Its role as a tourist destination, for example, may drive out community orientated activities but also bring resources for regeneration and the maintenance of its Chinese character. The research highlighted the importance of Chinatown as a community space and its practical and symbolic importance as well as the dependence of many on a Chinese environment and their exclusion from mainstream society through lack of language skills and information as well as discrimination.

The narratives of participants underlined ambiguities in the notion of diaspora. Their varied regional origin, complex migratory journeys and motives for migration and different levels of settlement in Britain complicate the notion of scattering from a common homeland implied by some definitions of diaspora. For some participants, 'home' and 'abroad' were not fixed geographical points as home could be recreated in different places. Most participants made strong distinctions between themselves as Chinese and others and the 'Chinese environment' reproduced in Chinatown, rather than attachment to China itself, was fundamental to this distinction. The constructed unified 'Chineseness' represented in Chinatown also hid differences based on class, legal status, region of origin and so on.

The recent involvement of the Chinese state underlies the importance of the political in relation to diaspora. Chinatown provides a focus for political and economic links between Britain and China and community organisations based there are increasingly tied to China. Many participants took pride in the rising power of the 'motherland' and felt it increased their status in Britain. This development also threatens Chinatown's role in uniting different groups of Chinese people. When 'being Chinese' involves loyalty to a particular state it excludes those who do not wish to claim loyalty or who are deemed unacceptable.

The research also revealed the fragility of Chinatown's acceptance in London. The Home Office raids in 2007 on the undocumented workers who are vital to its economic success raised the spectre of Chinatown as dangerous and uncontrolled. Chinatown still carries the weight of orientalist stereotypes of suspicion towards the Chinese 'other'.

The project produced a range of outputs for academic and community audiences. These include a project launch for community organisations and service providers and an academic seminar; an extended working paper and summary report; maps showing Chinatown's relation to the Chinese population; and conference papers, book chapters and articles. A web site detailing these activities is being developed and will be updated as further outputs are produced. Links forged through this research will lead to further research on the needs of Chinese people (with Haringey Chinese Community Association). Members of the research team plan further projects in furtherance of this research, including PhD study and a project on the needs of the Chinese elderly. Professor Sales was invited to be a consultant for a research proposal on skilled Chinese migration.

The research has been presented by members of the research team at national and international conferences including: Copenhagen (Association for Social Economics); Surrey (DMI/CRONEM); Birmingham (Social Policy Association); Goldsmiths, London (Race in the Modern World); Queen Mary College, London (Diaspora and the City); Milan (new immigration), Sydney (Branded Cities); and Singapore (Networked regionalism).