The Macanese Diaspora in British Hong Kong
A Century of Transimperial Drifting
Catherine S. Chan
9789463729253
224 pages
Amsterdam University Press
Overview
Diaspora transformed the urban terrain of colonial societies, creating polyglot worlds out of neighborhoods, workplaces, recreational clubs, and public spheres. It was within these spaces that communities reimagined and reshaped their public identities vis-à-vis emerging government policies and perceptions from other communities. Through a century of Macanese activities in British Hong Kong, The Macanese Diaspora in British Hong Kong: A Century of Transimperial Drifting explores how mixed-race diasporic communities survived within unequal, racialized, and biased systems beyond the colonizer-colonized dichotomy. Originating from Portuguese Macau yet living outside the control of the empire, the Macanese freely associated with more than one identity and pledged allegiance to multiple communal, political, and civic affiliations. They drew on colorful imaginations of the Portuguese and British empires in responding to a spectrum of changes encompassing Macau’s woes, Hong Kong’s injustice, Portugal’s political transitions, global developments in print culture, and the rise of new nationalisms during the inter-war period.
Author Bio
Catherine S. Chan is Research Assistant Professor of History at Lingnan University. She has published extensively on transimperial networks and the Macanese diaspora across East Asia. Chan also works on urban history, particularly on heritage issues and animal welfare in East and Southeast Asia.
