Chinese voluntary associations in the diaspora: ethnicity, gender and the (re)making of ancestral communities

Ningning Chen, Emily Hertzman, Sylvia Ang

Research output: Contribution to journalEditorialOtherpeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recent studies of Chinese voluntary associations (CVAs) have attempted to highlight the theoretical significance of CVAs for understandings of community (re)making. However, the power dynamics inherent in community (re)making has rarely been expounded. In recognition of this, we weave together case studies across countries to explore the complex power relations played out in and through the transformation of CVAs. Collectively, CVAs are understood as ever-changing, heterogeneous ancestral communities composed of common ancestral ties be it origin, locality, surname, religion or language. We aim to contribute to existing scholarship on ethnic and diaspora studies through focusing on CVAs in three ways: (1) foreground CVAs as sites of power relations through unpacking ethnic relations and gender hierarchies; (2) illuminate Chinese diaspora transnationalism beyond political-economic perspectives; and (3) examine the contemporaneous transformation of ethnic Chinese communities in shifting times, including amidst China's “rise” as a global power.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages14
JournalEthnic and Racial Studies
DOIs
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

  • Chinese diaspora
  • Chinese voluntary associations
  • community
  • ethnicity
  • gender
  • transnationalism

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