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Is There a Chinese Diaspora
and Does It Really Matter?
by
Frank H. Shih
[April
10, 2009]
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Online Notes
Is There a Chinese Diaspora and
Does It Really Matter?
Requires:
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The financial
and cultural
prominence of
Chinese
populations
outside of the
mainland of
China has
heightened
because of the
recent
phenomenal
economic growth
of the People’s
Republic of
China. With
settlements in
disparate
regions of the
world, overseas
Chinese have
been linked to
those in the
mainland both
culturally as
well as
financially. The
underpinning of
the linkages is
the notion of
“diaspora” which
is liberally
applied to all
overseas Chinese
communities.
Is there a true
Chinese diaspora
in the classic
definition of
the term? What
are the elements
of a diaspora?
How has the term
evolved? How is
it used
currently. Is
the term
appropriate for
Chinese
communities?
How useful is
the diaspora
framework in
describing
population
movements and
ethnic
identities?
The talk will
introduce the
classic notion
of "diaspora"
and examine its
current usage in
the social
sciences. We
will explore the
history of
Chinese overseas
migrations and
settlement
patterns.
Lastly, we will
assess the
political and
economic fallout
from the term
“diaspora” or
diasporic
elements when
applied to
Chinese
Americans and
other overseas
Chinese
communities.
My thesis is
that many
political
stereotypes and
assumptions
regarding
Chinese
Americans come
from the notion
that there is a
Chinese diaspora.
That is, that
every Chinese
regardless of
nationality,
birthplace,
language and
culture, are
tied to other
Chinese
populations
resulting in
stereotyping and
assumptions of a
monolithic
Chinese
political
worldview and
economic
network.
Thus, the
diaspora
framework is
useful in
talking about
the "perpetual
foreigner"
stereotype as
well as in
examining why
Wen Ho Lee was
accused of
spying. It is
valuable in
evaluating the
place of Asian
Americans in the
US political
structure and
social
conscience.
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