One Family In Two Countries: A Study Of Migrant Families In The Context Of Transnationalism

Since the 1980s, the transnational migration ,which is happening on the ordinary laborer groups of Fuzhou coastal areas, reflects on the transnational trends of the labor market directly in the age of globalization. This study chooses the Tingjiang Town of Mawei as a representative object from the numerous hometown of overseas Chinese in Fuzhou coastal areas. It uses in-depth interview of qualitative approach to describe the migration experiences, and analyses the transition of emigrant family. Under the theory frame of transnationalism, it shows an organic social community which regards " family " as a core and has multi-interactive relationship with the hometown of oversea Chinese.This study holds that the families of Tingjiang migration are extending in the diachronic and transnational social space, and setting out the transnational character. The transnational performance of Tingjiang emigrant is one kind of survival and development. It behaves the transnational character through weaving the transnational network and the social capital multiplication. The transnational network is building up with communication , interaction and social capital. It helps the potential-migration group performing their move, even supports the practices on economy, politics and culture. The transnational activity in the "social space" that is crossing between the immigrant region and the emigrant region is to be a significant part on the transnationalism.Different from the previous researches on the emigration groups, most of which have some limitations such as singleness of viewpoints and lack of theory background. This study is based on sociology theory and uses the transnationalism viewpoints to analysis the settlers' personal performances and the transition of their own families. Meanwhile, it focus on the transnational activity from the view of labor transition.