Contested Chinatown: Chinese migrants’ incorporation and the urban space in London and Milan

Abstract

This article discusses Chinese migrants’ incorporation in European cities and the relevance of the urban space. In particular, it focuses on the Chinatowns of London and Milan, beginning from two recent cases where their space has been contested. Alongside the different histories and contemporary patterns of Chinese migration and settlement and the varying policies and politics of immigration and integration in Britain and Italy, we bring the urban factor in our analysis. More specifically, we look at the political economy of the urban space and the role of Chinatown in the dynamics of urban restructuring in the two cities. We conclude by summarizing the key dimensions of comparison and by highlighting additional elements that are important in order to understand the multiple processes conditioning Chinese migrants’ incorporation in Europe, the peculiarities of Chinatown as a specific urban locale and the politics of contestation and protest involving immigrants in urban contexts. In that sense, the article examines different layers of explanation and builds a comparative analytical framework that goes beyond the limits of migration studies.

Chinese Migration to Europe

“…7 As we show in another article (Raffaetà, Baldassar & Harris, 2015), Chinese perception of public space might be different, and more linked to intimate and indoor spaces (see also Rimmer, 2002). 8 See Hatziprokopiou and Montagna (2012) for a comparative discussion about the politics of integration of the Chinatown in Milan and London.…”

Reflections on Migration, Community, and Place

“…Cadge et al . () and Hatziprokopiou and Montagna () have argued that this, in part, reflects disciplinary boundaries in scholarship and the focus of different scales of analysis. While quantitative, macro‐scale investigations of migrant incorporation in some migration scholarship tend to suffer from lack of data (refer to Bean et al ., ) and underplays the salience of place, cultural identity and community, detailed ethnographic studies of the everyday lives of migrants often lack a broader comparative perspective.…”

“…Detailed comparative studies, however, which tease out the essential differences between cities as places for migrant settlement, or allow us to better understand the variable impact of migration, are lacking (but refer to Platts-Fowler and Robinson, 2015). Cadge et al (2012) and Hatziprokopiou and Montagna (2012) have argued that this, in part, reflects disciplinary boundaries in scholarship and the focus of different scales of analysis. While quantitative, macro-scale investigations of migrant incorporation in some migration scholarship tend to suffer from lack of data (refer to Bean et al, 2012) and underplays the salience of place, cultural identity and community, detailed ethnographic studies of the everyday lives of migrants often lack a broader comparative perspective.…”

“…Other studies have used qualitative research to flesh out these contextual factors further and extend the concept of integration to include personal experiences of ethnic difference, as well as emotional aspects of belonging in different national and urban contexts. Hatziprokopiou and Montagna (2012), for example, examine the interplay of political, economic, and global forces in the incorporation of Chinese migrants into London and Milan in the context of contests over the use of city spaces, while the research of Valentine et al (2009) with Somali refugee children in Sheffield (UK) and Aarhus (Denmark) highlights the importance of place for both attachment and security. Both studies highlight the situatedness of identity and belonging and the importance of national citizenship regimes for feelings of integration.…”

Public Attitudes and the Chinese Migrants in Central‐Eastern Europe

“…In France (Wang – this issue ), Italy (Hatziprokopiou and Montagna, ; Zhang, ), and Spain (Guo, Tang, and Yuan, ), the locals have not always welcomed these outsiders. In fact, as Tran and Chuang ( this issue ) show, the tensions between the Chinese and the locals have occasionally escalated into violence.…”