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Identities and Decentered Transnational Linkages: Return Migrants in Hong Kong

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Living Intersections: Transnational Migrant Identifications in Asia

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Migration ((IPMI,volume 2))

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Abstract

Research in the field of transnationalism has largely focused on the experience of migrants in the host country and only offhand remarks have been documented on those who have returned or moved on to a third place of residence. Underlying reasons are that return migration to a place of origin is understood to convey a sense of closure, finality, and completion of the migration journey and that the experience of migrants who have returned to their homeland is predicated to weaken their linkages with their previous host country. However, for Hong Kong Chinese migrants who emigrated prior to the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty, return migration to Hong Kong is often another stage in a continuing journey with further movements ahead. This chapter evaluates the use of the concept of transnationalism, identifying gaps in the literature that have emerged from the applications of transnational framework in return migration research. In particular, I argue that the ways in which identifications operate for Chinese returned migrants in Hong Kong requires a multi-faceted conceptualization of transnationalisms, which encompasses a focus on the migrants’ ‘inverted’ transnational linkages.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    With the exception of the years 1973–1974 (Skeldon 1995b).

  2. 2.

    RSL stands for Returned and Services League of Australia. The RSL is the largest ex-service organization in Australia and represents thousands of former and currently-serving defence force personnel. RSL clubs usually have dining and bar facilities and gambling areas for their members and guests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, 10 Lo Ping Rd, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong, China

    Lucille Ngan

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  1. Lucille Ngan
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Correspondence to Lucille Ngan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Division of Sociology, HSS-05-27, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 6794 6303, Singapore

    Caroline Plüss

  2. Chan Institute of Social Sciences, Flat H, 15/f Century Indus Bldg, Tsing Yeung Street 1, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong SAR

    Kwok-bun Chan

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Ngan, L. (2012). Identities and Decentered Transnational Linkages: Return Migrants in Hong Kong. In: Plüss, C., Chan, Kb. (eds) Living Intersections: Transnational Migrant Identifications in Asia. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2966-7_12

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