The Building of Chinese Ethnicity in Rome

Book excerpt: This book presents the history of Chinese migrations to Europe within a “transcalar glocal” perspective. That is, it moves between international, national, and local levels of analysis to describe the different constraints Chinese migrants deal with in their lives. It problematizes and complicates ethnicity and identity and refers to controversial concepts like Roman-ness and Chinese-ness, used as identity signifiers. Ultimately, by presenting the lives of ethnic Chinese living in Italy in both global and local context, this book hopes to show the value of a "glocal" oral history of Chinese migrations.