Beyond local state corporatism and entrepreneurial political selves: a governance assemblage perspective on the management of foreigners in a Chinese county
Beyond local state corporatism and entrepreneurial political selves: a governance assemblage perspective on the management of foreigners in a Chinese county
This chapter explores the possibilities of conceptualizing the shifting geography of Chinese policymaking through a governance assemblage perspective. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork since 2010, the chapter presents two cases involving the management of Indian traders living in a county-level district in China’s eastern Zhejiang province. In doing so, it argues that existing theoretical paradigms, namely local state corporatism and entrepreneurial political selves, are inadequate to capture the county-level governance of transnational issues such as international migration to China. The chapter illustrates how a governance assemblage perspective can elucidate the significance of various players and forces, as well as their multiple interactions, in shaping the management of foreigners. This perspective can also bridge scholarly theorization with actual Chinese governance practice through the vernacular Chinese term lizi (example), which holds potential as an effective form of policy storytelling in China and beyond.
migration management, Indian diaspora, assemblage thinking, governance, China
97–119
Amsterdam University Press
Cheuk, Ka-Kin
d947dcb4-966e-4c5e-87da-1a3465ea4c3c
4 June 2025
Cheuk, Ka-Kin
d947dcb4-966e-4c5e-87da-1a3465ea4c3c
Cheuk, Ka-Kin
(2025)
Beyond local state corporatism and entrepreneurial political selves: a governance assemblage perspective on the management of foreigners in a Chinese county.
In,
Frazier, Mark and Mahajan, Manjari
(eds.)
Constrained Expertise in India and China: Knowledge and Power in Policymaking.
(Politics and International Relations in Asia)
Amsterdam.
Amsterdam University Press, .
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Book Section
Abstract
This chapter explores the possibilities of conceptualizing the shifting geography of Chinese policymaking through a governance assemblage perspective. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork since 2010, the chapter presents two cases involving the management of Indian traders living in a county-level district in China’s eastern Zhejiang province. In doing so, it argues that existing theoretical paradigms, namely local state corporatism and entrepreneurial political selves, are inadequate to capture the county-level governance of transnational issues such as international migration to China. The chapter illustrates how a governance assemblage perspective can elucidate the significance of various players and forces, as well as their multiple interactions, in shaping the management of foreigners. This perspective can also bridge scholarly theorization with actual Chinese governance practice through the vernacular Chinese term lizi (example), which holds potential as an effective form of policy storytelling in China and beyond.
Text
Cheuk 2025 Assembladge
- Accepted Manuscript
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Published date: 4 June 2025
Additional Information:
Ka-Kin Cheuk is a lecturer (assistant professor) in anthropology at the University of Southampton. His research revolves around the study of migration, transnationalism, and inter-Asian connections, with ethnographic focuses on China, Hong Kong, India, and the Middle East. Having conducted ethnographic fieldwork over the past 18 years on the Sikh diaspora in Hong Kong and Indian traders in southeast China, he is currently undertaking a new interdisciplinary project centered on the sustainable development of transnational flower industries and the global circuits of environmental ethics. Dr. Cheuk’s email is ka-kin.cheuk@soton.ac.uk.
Keywords:
migration management, Indian diaspora, assemblage thinking, governance, China
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Local EPrints ID: 500659
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/500659
PURE UUID: e8b310fc-ff50-4d76-9110-14bca740ba12
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Date deposited: 08 May 2025 16:51
Last modified: 22 Jul 2025 02:15
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Contributors
Author:
Ka-Kin Cheuk
Editor:
Mark Frazier
Editor:
Manjari Mahajan
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