Chinese-language Cyberspace: Overseas Chinese Cyber Nationalism and Migrant Identity

Abstract

This thesis explores the multi-faceted online nationalism manifested by Chinese overseas transnational migrants. It establishes the relationship between migrant nationalism and identity by interrogating the roles that the internet plays in the migrant identity construction process in the New Zealand context. The research arises from the contention between the political and cultural explanations of the highly noticeable displays of nationalism by the overseas Chinese. Transcending national borders and time-zones, the internet is a quintessential medium enabling migrants to strengthen ties with the homeland, and to voice their allegiance to China. The internet therefore opens up new grounds and innovative angles to reevaluate how transnational media influences migrant nationalism and identity construction. My analysis is based on data from a multi-method approach encompassing qualitative content analysis of user-generated online texts, an online survey to ascertain the prevalence of nationalism and internet use preferences, and semi-structured in-depth interviews to get migrant netizens perspectives and perceptions of their lived experience. Findings from the research show that the multi-dimensional overseas Chinese cyber nationalism is much more wide-spread among Chinese migrant netizens than widely assumed, and the identification with China is prevalent. The Chinese-language cyberspace as a transnational social field provides space for migrant netizens to create an imagined Cyber China and enables them to live parallel lives in the online and the physical worlds simultaneously. The constant tension exerted by the twin forces of Cyber China and migrant lived reality engender an ongoing renegotiation of identity. For many, it is a contest between acquired “kiwiness” and inherited / reconstructed “Chineseness”. Findings suggest that Cyber China fosters a sense of being “authentic but privileged Chinese” among migrant netizens, whereas the lived experience in the host country and online ethnic media discourse often gives rise to “a sense of insecurity” amongst migrants. This research argues that overseas Chinese cyber nationalism is an assertive form of identity claims expressed during the migrant netizens’ pursuit for a new and secure overseas Chinese identity. It is a mechanism that they employ, though not always consciously, to reassure themselves that they are supported by their homeland on the one hand and empowered by ethnic solidarity on the other. This current research has made both empirical and theoretical contributions to the studies of transnationalism and overseas Chinese nationalism. Empirically, a new dimension has been added by the presentation of evidence that online homeland media is a crucial factor comprising the transnational Chinese-language cyberspace. On the theoretical front, re-evaluating the current discussions on transnationalism, this research argues that migrant identity is situational. What type of identity is articulated by migrants largely depends on whether such an identity claim can provide a sense of security to them in particular situations. In reconsidering the nature of online nationalism, the research provides an alternative nuanced understanding of transnational migrant identity construction.