Work, identity and change? Post/colonial encounters in Hong Kong
Work, identity and change? Post/colonial encounters in Hong Kong
This paper explores the shifting, multiple modalities of Britishness, colonialism and whiteness in a changing social landscape. Set in postcolonial Hong Kong, it draws on research with white British expatriates to explore the ways in which identities and relations are changing since the handover from British to Chinese rule. For many British expatriates, the decision to migrate was a career and lifestyle choice, motivated by a desire to progress within their lives. However, once there, Hong Kong offers a new racial context in which identities are to be performed, meaning that the negotiation of new lives is not a simple or abstract transnational transposition. In addition, the dynamic social and political context of Hong Kong is mediated through expatriate contexts in diverse and complex ways. Colonialism can be seen to persist in many of these contexts, suggesting that postcolonial ways of being a British expatriate in Hong Kong are still very much in process.
ong kong, postcolonial, expatriate, britishness, whiteness
1247-1263
Leonard, Pauline
a2839090-eccc-4d84-ab63-c6a484c6d7c1
2010
Leonard, Pauline
a2839090-eccc-4d84-ab63-c6a484c6d7c1
Leonard, Pauline
(2010)
Work, identity and change? Post/colonial encounters in Hong Kong.
[in special issue: Examining Expatriate Continuities: Postcolonial Approaches to Mobile Professionals]
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36 (6), .
(doi:10.1080/13691831003687691).
Abstract
This paper explores the shifting, multiple modalities of Britishness, colonialism and whiteness in a changing social landscape. Set in postcolonial Hong Kong, it draws on research with white British expatriates to explore the ways in which identities and relations are changing since the handover from British to Chinese rule. For many British expatriates, the decision to migrate was a career and lifestyle choice, motivated by a desire to progress within their lives. However, once there, Hong Kong offers a new racial context in which identities are to be performed, meaning that the negotiation of new lives is not a simple or abstract transnational transposition. In addition, the dynamic social and political context of Hong Kong is mediated through expatriate contexts in diverse and complex ways. Colonialism can be seen to persist in many of these contexts, suggesting that postcolonial ways of being a British expatriate in Hong Kong are still very much in process.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 28 June 2010
Published date: 2010
Keywords:
ong kong, postcolonial, expatriate, britishness, whiteness
Organisations:
Sociology & Social Policy
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 71187
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/71187
ISSN: 1369-183X
PURE UUID: 01b6a3cc-7c2e-4e46-8ab2-602a802ca09e
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Date deposited: 26 Jan 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:38
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