Multiple Ways To Be Chinese:A Study Of Identity Deployment Of Ethnic Chinese Voluntary Associations In South Australia

Ethnic Chinese population in Australia has increased phenomenally since the abolition of the WAP and the opening-up of China. With the expansion of community size and diversification of population composition, ethnic Chinese voluntary associations have proliferated in the past few decades. Identity issues of ethnic Chinese community have traditionally been the focus of persistent and intense scholarly attention, yet previous literature focuses more on how identities of ethnic Chinese have been shaped by external factors like immigration experience. Little has been conducted to qualitatively assess human agency of ethnic Chinese in identity issues.This thesis aims to explore the identity deployment of ethnic Chinese community from the perspective of ethnic Chinese voluntary associations (ECVAs). Methodology adopted in this research project is a multi-methodological one, combining qualitative research methods including document review, in-depth interviews and case studies. Based on pertinent theories and examining the constitutions, newsletters, scholarly publications, reports, and interviews with leaders of ECVAs, this thesis studies the identity deployment of ethnic Chinese community in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia.This thesis argues that ethnic Chinese in South Australia have strategically deployed multi-layered and multi-facet Chineseness and to choose which form of Chineseness to deploy and in what ways are determined by their understanding of the utility and appropriateness of the identity deployed in relation to expected outcomes, audiences they confront with as well as the changing contexts they are in.This thesis is comprised of three parts, the introduction, main body and conclusion. After outlining theoretical framework, clarifying key concepts and introducing the ethnic Chinese community in South Australia, the main part of the thesis is devoted to exploring the identities that have been deployed as the organizing principles of ECVAs, and further analyzing the strategies adopted while deploying Chineseness. This thesis contributes to more nuanced theory building by providing real-life case study and highlighting human agency in the identification of Chineseness. Furthermore, the interplay between identification and interest pursuits and the local engagement and transnational practice of ECVAs as revealed by this research can provide reference to both Chinese government’s reaching-out policies to overseas Chinese ind to South Australia government’s "South Australia-China Engagement Strategy".