Cityscapes of Diaspora: Images and Realities of London's Chinatown

该研究项目通过对伦敦唐人街的详细案例研究，探讨了侨民问题。它调查了唐人街在伦敦华人生活中的作用和意义，以及这个空间内所涉及的不同--有时是相互冲突的--利益和活动。华人在“华人散居地”的建设中起着至关重要的作用。它们是可见的“公共面孔”和“私人”社区空间，既体现了与其他中国人的联系，又体现了与他人的区别。侨居地也反映了中国人口和“东道国”社会之间不断变化的关系，例如多元文化和移民控制政策。伦敦的唐人街，曾经被视为"危险"，现在是多元文化伦敦的一个既定特征。该研究采用了多种方法：民族志观察、街头调查、问卷调查和半结构化访谈，采访了30名中国组织和其他利益相关者的代表;以及50名具有不同移民背景、身份和个人特征的个人。这些活动探讨了唐人街在参与者日常生活中的重要性，以及他们的身份和归属感。调查结果肯定了唐人街对伦敦华人的重要性，特别是对新来者，唐人街为他们提供了实际的支持、信息以及正式和非正式的网络。即使是那些很少使用唐人街的人也认为它很重要，可以创造一种归属感和“宾至如归”的感觉。不同的利益和活动集中在那里可能是冲突的，但也是互补的。例如，它作为旅游目的地的角色可能会驱逐以社区为导向的活动，但也会带来再生和保持其中国特色的资源。与会者的叙述强调了散居地概念的模糊性。他们不同的地区起源，复杂的移民旅程和移民动机，以及在英国定居的不同程度，使散居地的一些定义所隐含的从共同家园分散的概念复杂化。对于一些参与者来说，“家”和“国外”并不是固定的地理点，因为家可以在不同的地方重建。大多数参与者对自己作为中国人和其他人有很强的区分，而唐人街复制的“中国环境”，而不是对中国本身的依恋，是这种区分的基础。唐人街所代表的统一的"中国性"也隐藏了基于阶级、法律的地位、原籍地区等的差异。中国政府最近的介入强调了政治与散居的重要性。唐人街是英国和中国之间政治和经济联系的焦点，那里的社区组织与中国的联系越来越紧密。许多参与者为“祖国”的崛起感到自豪，并认为这提高了他们在英国的地位。这一发展也威胁到唐人街在团结不同群体的中国人方面的作用。当“身为中国人”涉及到对某个特定国家的忠诚时，它排除了那些不希望声称忠诚或被认为不可接受的人。这项研究还揭示了唐人街在伦敦的脆弱性。2007年，英国内政部对那些对英国经济成功至关重要的无证工人进行了突击搜查，这让人们对唐人街的恐惧变得危险和失控。唐人街仍然承载着东方主义者对中国“他者”的怀疑。该项目为学术界和社区受众提供了一系列产出。其中包括为社区组织和服务提供者举办的项目启动仪式和学术研讨会;扩展工作文件和摘要报告;显示唐人街与华人人口关系的地图;以及会议文件、书籍章节和文章。目前正在建立一个详细介绍这些活动的网站，并将随着进一步产出的产生而更新。

The research project explored diaspora through a detailed case study of London's Chinatown. It investigated the role and meaning of Chinatown in the lives of Chinese people in London and the different -sometimes conflicting - interests and activities involved within this space. Chinatowns have been crucial in the construction of 'Chinese diasporas'. They are the visible 'public face' of the population and 'private' community spaces, embodying both connection with other Chinese people and distinction from others. Chinatowns also reflect changing relations between Chinese populations and 'host' societies and for example policies on multiculturalism and immigration control. London's Chinatown, once seen as 'risky", is now an established feature of multicultural London. The research used a combination of methods: ethnographic observation, street surveys and questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 30 representatives of Chinese organisations and other stakeholders; and 50 individuals with varied migrant backgrounds, statuses and personal characteristics. These explored Chinatown's importance in participants' daily lives and their sense of identity and belonging. The results affirmed Chinatown's importance for London's Chinese population, especially newcomers for whom it provides practical support, information and formal and informal networks. Even those who rarely use Chinatown saw it as important, creating a sense of belonging and being 'at home'. The different interests and activities centered there may be conflicting but also complementary. Its role as a tourist destination, for example, may drive out community orientated activities but also bring resources for regeneration and the maintenance of its Chinese character. The narratives of participants underlined ambiguities in the notion of diaspora. Their varied regional origin, complex migratory journeys and motives for migration and different levels of settlement in Britain complicate the notion of scattering from a common homeland implied by some definitions of diaspora. For some participants, 'home' and 'abroad' were not fixed geographical points as home could be recreated in different places. Most participants made strong distinctions between themselves as Chinese and others and the 'Chinese environment' reproduced in Chinatown, rather than attachment to China itself, was fundamental to this distinction. The constructed unified 'Chineseness' represented in Chinatown also hid differences based on class, legal status, region of origin and so on. The recent involvement of the Chinese state underlies the importance of the political in relation to diaspora. Chinatown provides a focus for political and economic links between Britain and China and community organisations based there are increasingly tied to China. Many participants took pride in the rising power of the 'motherland' and felt it increased their status in Britain. This development also threaten Chinatown's role in uniting different groups of Chinese people. When 'being Chinese' involves loyalty to a particular state it excludes those who do not wish to claim loyalty or who are deemed unacceptable. The research also revealed the fragility of Chinatown's acceptance in London. The Home Office raids in 2007 on the undocumented workers who are vital to its economic success raised the spectre of Chinatown as dangerous and uncontrolled. Chinatown still carries the weight of orientalist stereotypes of suspicion towards the Chinese 'other'. The project produced a range of outputs for academic and community audiences. These include a project launch for community organisations and service providers and an academic seminar; an extended working paper and summary report; maps showing Chinatown's relation to the Chinese population; and conference papers, book chapters and articles. A web site detailing these activities is being developed and will be updated as further outputs are produced.