Between transnational network and the state : the globalization of diasporic Chinese voluntary associations

• Main Author: Lin, Chia Tsun
• Other Authors: Liu Hong
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/86192; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/48308
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Diasporic Chinese voluntary associations are re-inventing themselves and reviving. Since the 1980s, one witnessed the growing globalization of diasporic Chinese voluntary associations. This resulted in the institutionalization of social and personal relationships between different associations. World Clan Conventions – the collective performance of “Chineseness” at a single site – attended by thousands of individuals from that particular clan are emerging as common features of diasporic Chinese communities. In total, 125 different World Clan Associations are in operation. They are coordinated by a multitude of hometown (qiaoxiang) and diasporic Chinese actors to mobilize members who share the same primordial identity on the global level. Within this thesis, World Clan Associations are re-imagined as transnational network organisations. Many academic studies have examined the transnational aspects of diasporic Chinese voluntary associations. However, much remains to be explored on the negotiations and cultural invention processes within the organisation’s networks. As such, providing an explanation of how interactions between state and diaspora shape the performance of Chineseness within the context of World Clan Associations. This thesis fills the gap in current research by exploring the collaborative relationship between qiaoxiang governments and diasporic Chinese voluntary associations, and how that shapes the performance of culture within the context of network organisations. In addition, the concept of Chinese transnational network used in the context of diasporic Chinese organisations is limited in capturing the dynamic negotiations between different actors and over-emphasis the fixity of ethnicity. Hence, my thesis proposes a reformulated notion of “Chinese transnational network” by drawing upon conceptual tools including “invention of tradition” and “network” as forms of “network governance” found in organisational studies. Using transnational methodology and drawing on empirical data of four case studies of World Clan associations, the thesis answers the following research questions. First, it explains how the cultural foundation of the organisation networks emerge. Second, I explain how the institutional mechanisms shape the behavior of various actors and re-invention of culture within the networks. Lastly, I examined the implications of the cultural networks created. Hence, the thesis contributes to an understanding of “Chinese transnational network” from an organisational perspective.