Regrounding the ‘Ungrounded Empires’:localization as the geographical catalyst for transnationalism

Abstract

The emerging literature on transnationalism has reshaped the study of immigration in the USA from 'melting pot ' and later 'salad bowl', to 'switching board', which emphasizes the ability of migrants to forge and maintain ties to their home countries. Often under the heading of 'transnationalism from below', these studies highlight an alternative form of globalization, in which migrants act as active agents to initiate and structure global interactions. The role of geography, and in particular, localization in transnational spaces, is central to the transnationalism debate, but is yet to be well articulated. While it has been commonly claimed that transnationalism represents deterritorialized practices and organizations, we argue that it is in fact rooted in the territorial division of labour and local community networks in immigrant sending and receiving countries. We examine closely two business sectors engaged in by the Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles: high-tech firms and accounting firms. Each illustrates, respectively, the close ties of Chinese transnational activities with the economic base of the Los Angeles region, and the contribution of local-based, low-wage, small ethnic businesses to the transnational practices. We conclude that deeper localization is the geographical catalyst for transnational networks and practices.

Educational ties, social capital and the translocal (re)production of MBA alumni networks

“…First, it develops recent work on the spatiality of transnational networks (Featherstone et al 2007;Zhou and Tseng 2001). First, it develops recent work on the spatiality of transnational networks (Featherstone et al 2007;Zhou and Tseng 2001).…”

Theorizing Economic Geographies of Asia

“…Alternative economic models are therefore called for that account for China's unprecedented economic transformations. Although we have not yet observed a similar theoretical development and disciplinary impact of research on Asia in economic geography, we have certainly noticed some novel conceptualizations arising from recent work on China (Hsing 1998;Olds 2001a;Fan 2002;Zhou and Tong in this issue) and other economies in East and Southeast Asia (Kelly 2001a(Kelly , 2001bHsu and Saxenian 2000;Coe and Kelly 2002;Park in this issue).…”

“…These realities, however, differ from one historical moment to another and from one geographic setting to another. For example, whereas studies of Latin America have given rise to dependency theory, social science studies of Asia have similarly generated many important theoretical insights, some of which have been followed up in the recent literature on economic geography: (1) the flying geese hypothesis (HartLandsberg and Burkett 1998; Edgington and Hayter 2000); (2) the new international division of labor (Frobel, Heinrichs, and Kreye 1980;Henderson 1989); (3) the developmental state (Douglass 1994;Clark and Kim 1995;Brohman 1996;B.-G. Park 1998;Yeung 1999;Hsu and Cheng 2002); (4) social capital (Leung 1993;Hsing 1998;Yeung 1998c;Olds 2001a); and, more recently, (5) transnationalism (Mitchell 1995;Olds and Yeung 1999;Ley 1999;Hsu and Saxenian 2000;Yeoh and Chang 2001;Zhou and Tseng 2001;G. C. S. Lin 2002a;Ma and Cartier 2003).…”

“Diversity” on Main Street? Branding Race and Place in the New “Majority-Minority” Suburbs

“…13 Initially funded by a Taiwanese commercial bank and private investors, San Gabriel Square is indicative of how coethnic local, regional, and transnational flows of capital have shaped the contemporary development of the West San Gabriel Valley (cf. Zhou and Tseng 2001).…”