Chinese Migrants in Europe
Amy H. LiuIn this groundbreaking study, The Language of Political Incorporation, Amy Liu focuses on Chinese migrants in Central-Eastern Europe and their varying levels of political incorporation in the local community. She examines the linguistic diversity of migrant networks, finding institutional trust and civic engagement depend not on national identity, but on the network’s linguistic diversity—namely, whether the operating language is a migrant’s mother tongue or a lingua franca.
The Language of Political Incorporationuses original survey data to assess when the Chinese engage positively with the authorities and when they become civic minded. The results are surprising. In Hungary, the Chinese community has experienced high levels of political incorporation in part because they have not been targeted by anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. In contrast, migrants in Romania sought the assistance of the Chinese embassy to fight an effort to collect back taxes.
Liu also compares the Chinese experiences in Central-Eastern Europe with those of Muslims in the region, as well as how the Chinese are treated in Western Europe. Additionally, she considers how the local communities perceive the Chinese. The Language of Political Incorporation concludes by offering best practices for how governments can help migrants become more trusting of—and have greater involvement with—locals in their host countries. Ultimately, Liu demonstrates the importance of linguistic networks for the incorporation of immigrants.
" Central-Eastern Europe definitely warrants an intriguing case study.... Liu has provided a well-crafted framework.... With the conceptual, empirical, and pragmatic values, this book is an essential read for those who want to understand migrants better and provide them with a space in good connections with the mainstream societies."
—Ethnic and Racial Studies
"The Language of Political Incorporation fills a much-needed gap in the global study of Overseas Chinese.... Overall, this stimulating book provides a well-researched, accessible and original understanding of new frontiers of Chinese migrations in Europe. The author’s careful comparisons and clear methodological sophistication expand our discussions, while her data and themes extend the global panorama of important changes that resonate across a new Chinese globalization."
—Nationalism and Ethnic Politics
" The book addresses an important and timely political topic – migrant incorporation – through innovative perspectives on political incorporation and migrant networks.... The Language of Political Incorporation includes insights for scholars studying a variety of issues.... This study thus highlights the importance of linguistically demarcated networks for comparative politics broadly."
—Journal of Chinese Political Science
"Liu’s work is pioneering—she examines Chinese migration in Central and Eastern Europe through an intensely comparative framework.... This well-structured and readable book is a welcome addition to research on Chinese migration in Europe.... Liu’s work will be of interest to migration and social capital researchers and students, as well as those interested in sociolinguistics and the role of language in shaping communities."
—The China Journal
"The Language of Political Incorporation is a remarkable book.... Liu breaks new ground by focusing on a different unit of analysis altogether: the migrant network.... (T)he implications of the research presented in the book, as well as its argument, are wide reaching.... This book should be widely read – by scholars, students and practitioners alike."
—East European Politics
The Politics of New Immigrant Destinations
Edited by Stefanie Chambers, Diana Evans, Anthony M. Messina, and Abigail Fisher Williamson
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Stefanie Chambers
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