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'Involuntary Migrants, Political Revolutionaries and Economic Energisers: a history of the image of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia'

Cheung, Gordon C.K.

Authors



Abstract

Along the contemporary migration history of the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, three distinctive images have been constructed through the interaction between the overseas Chinese and Mainland China. First, the image of involuntary migrant, formulated by their migration activity and the continuous remittance they sent back to their hometowns, closely linked to the political and social-economic disturbances in the early years of the twentieth century. Second, the image of the overseas Chinese as political revolutionary was heavily politicised by the revolutionary policies of Mainland China in the 1950s and 1960s. Third, through the operational means of foreign direct investment, the overseas Chinese image of economic energiser was re-focused and mirror-imaged with the imperative of the economic reform of Mainland China in the 1970s and 1980s. On the one hand, the images of involuntary migrant, political revolutionary and economic energiser of the Southeast Asian overseas Chinese describe their situational status. On the other hand, these images also reflect the contemporary historical development of Mainland China.

Citation

Cheung, G. C. (2005). 'Involuntary Migrants, Political Revolutionaries and Economic Energisers: a history of the image of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia'. Journal of Contemporary China, 14(42), 55-66. https://doi.org/10.1080/1067056042000300781

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Feb 1, 2005
Deposit Date Mar 6, 2008
Journal Journal of Contemporary China
Print ISSN 1067-0564
Electronic ISSN 1469-9400
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 14
Issue 42
Pages 55-66
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/1067056042000300781
Keywords China, Migration, Social development, Economic development.