Transnational self in the Chinese diaspora: a conceptual framework

Abstract

In the march into the 21st century, time-space compression has become a routine part of our life as a result of modern communicative devices and transportation. Migrational flows have become thicker and denser on the one hand, and faster and more fluid on the other, giving rise to myriad formulations of migrational flow. No longer do we see, nor are migrants contented with, a single destination. Often a destination serves as a hop-over point to another, with migrants constantly searching for greener pastures on the other side of the fence. ‘Greener pastures’ denote not only economic but also socio-psychological as well as political landscapes where lifestyles are now of paramount significance. What we are witnessing is the emergence of a circulatory migration chain where the movement could be unilinear, multilinear and/or circulatorily multilinear in scope. Likewise, the migrants that we are confronting are multifaceted, ranging from illegal migrants to the most sophisticated, savvy, highly educated professionals in the migration chain. Irrespective of whether they are illegal, irregular or sophisticated, the original “self” – one of localized parochialism – has undergone a process of transformation and through the various movements has become transnational. This paper will attempt to develop a conceptual framework for our exploration of the “self” and how the “self” is constructed and reconstructed in the diasporic community and the host country and within the global migration circuit. The complexity and multilineality of the flow pattern, with migrants on the move and shifting over not only physical but also mental and socio-psychological terrains, has impacted greatly on how migrants explore as well as locate the “self” in the various stops on the global migration circuit and in the host country and their original home city/village. Specifically, it will explore the process of construction, reconstruction and negotiation of the self within this complex landscape, influenced as it is by global capitalism, ethno-religious affiliations, nationalism, xenophobia and human rights considerations. This process of construction and negotiation is very much tied up with how Chinese as individuals and as a communal social group perceive themselves and interact with the local society, their ethnic community and the global community. At the same time, it is also about the social experiences that govern how they locate themselves. It will also explore the increasing attempts by Chinese to create different sets of identities as the individual constantly negotiates between various sets of demands, resulting in the creation of multiple selves – from ethnic to transnational – according to the needs and demands of the social environment.