Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK
The growing literature on international migration has a tendency to emphasize homogenous elements such as shared ethnic background, social network and cultural similarities in shaping immigrants' identity. We argue that this underestimates the differences (and sometimes conflicts) of interests...
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor & Francis
2014
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/29041/ |
| _version_ | 1848793703778353152 |
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| author | Wu, Bin Liu, Hong |
| author_facet | Wu, Bin Liu, Hong |
| author_sort | Wu, Bin |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The growing literature on international migration has a tendency to emphasize homogenous elements such as shared ethnic background, social network and cultural similarities in shaping immigrants' identity. We argue that this underestimates the differences (and sometimes conflicts) of interests between ethnic employers and migrant workers and that class needs to be brought back into the studies of ethnic relationship. Based upon findings from a series of fieldwork in Veneto, Italy and East Midlands, UK, this article contends that class consciousness has co-existed, sometimes uneasily, alongside co-ethnic and cultural relationships among Chinese migrant workers and has played an important part in the making of new Chinese communities. By analysing the perspectives of Chinese migrant workers and their relationship with co-ethnic entrepreneurs, this article illustrates complex factors behind the formation, diffusion and development of class consciousness among Chinese migrant workers. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:04:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-29041 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:04:31Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-290412020-05-04T20:18:12Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/29041/ Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK Wu, Bin Liu, Hong The growing literature on international migration has a tendency to emphasize homogenous elements such as shared ethnic background, social network and cultural similarities in shaping immigrants' identity. We argue that this underestimates the differences (and sometimes conflicts) of interests between ethnic employers and migrant workers and that class needs to be brought back into the studies of ethnic relationship. Based upon findings from a series of fieldwork in Veneto, Italy and East Midlands, UK, this article contends that class consciousness has co-existed, sometimes uneasily, alongside co-ethnic and cultural relationships among Chinese migrant workers and has played an important part in the making of new Chinese communities. By analysing the perspectives of Chinese migrant workers and their relationship with co-ethnic entrepreneurs, this article illustrates complex factors behind the formation, diffusion and development of class consciousness among Chinese migrant workers. Taylor & Francis 2014 Article PeerReviewed Wu, Bin and Liu, Hong (2014) Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 37 (8). pp. 1391-1408. ISSN 0141-9870 international migration Chinese migrant workers class consciousness labour standards class solidarity transnationalism http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01419870.2012.715660#.VXhaiflVhBc doi:10.1080/01419870.2012.715660 doi:10.1080/01419870.2012.715660 |
| spellingShingle | international migration Chinese migrant workers class consciousness labour standards class solidarity transnationalism Wu, Bin Liu, Hong Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK |
| title | Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK |
| title_full | Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK |
| title_fullStr | Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK |
| title_short | Bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among Chinese migrant workers in Italy and the UK |
| title_sort | bringing class back in: class consciousness and solidarity among chinese migrant workers in italy and the uk |
| topic | international migration Chinese migrant workers class consciousness labour standards class solidarity transnationalism |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/29041/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/29041/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/29041/ |