Migration Diaspora Chin Exp In Comparative Perspective

AY2015/2016 Semester 1

There are approximately 46 million ethnic Chinese living outside the Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau today. This course will examine the emergence and transformation of Chinese international migration in the global context of China`s interactions with the outside world and diaspora`s changing patterns of political, social and cultural adaptations. Although it will trace the historical origins of modern Chinese migration dating back to the mid-19th century, this course focuses on the post-1945 era, particularly the period after 1978 when China began its economic reform and openingup. Apart from examining the linkages with the homeland and transnational ties that connect the Chinese diaspora globally, this course pays special attention to the regions of Asia, Europe and North America. The central themes to be explored in this courses include the historicity of modern Chinese migration, changing faces/fates of Chineseness, complex ethnic and cultural identities and the emergence of Chinese transnationalism, cross-border social and business networks, diaspora`s role in China`s economic development and foreign relations, and comparative and theoretical approaches to Chinese international migration.