You'll Never be Chinese: American Expatriates Encounter Mainland China

• In Event: 378 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session II
  In Refereed Roundtable: Open Refereed Roundtable. B. Table. 01. Race and Place

Abstract

With rapid economic development in recent decades, China has become an increasingly popular destination for American expatriates to seek new opportunities and life experience. Based on interviews with over 60 American expats from various social backgrounds who’ve spent an extended period of time living in China, this study provides both empirical evidence and theoretical discussion in terms of how privileges and social exclusions are experienced and negotiated in this migrating context. Most importantly, how the experience of being an “American expatriates” in China differ in terms of one’s racial/ethnic background? A number of preliminary findings based on the interviews are discussed in this paper: 1) Cosmopolitan as social status: a significant number of respondents, especially the White Americans, explain their migration as an exploration of the world. This metaphor of being “cosmopolitan” is particularly important to those expatriates who do not benefit economically from their migration; 2) In the Chinese context, the access to “expatriate privilege” is based on not being seen as local Chinese, visual difference and foreignness are necessary performance for many American expatriates to maintain their social status in China. This is exemplified by Asian Americans’ experience of “discriminations” compared to their White counterparts, on behalf of their lack of visibility as foreigners in China. 3) Expatriate privileges are both empowering and alienating. Despite their desire to be cosmopolitan, western expatriates are often in a predicament of “cultural ghettolization.”

Author

• Fan Mai, University of Virginia