REVIEWS | CONTENTS | AUTHOR BIO | SUBJECT CATEGORIESEthnic enclaves as an alternative means of incorporation into the larger society ChinatownThe Socioeconomic Potential of an Urban EnclaveSearch the full text of this bookMin Zhou, foreword by Alejandro PortesHonorable Mention Robert E. Park Award, American Sociological Association, 1993
Min Zhou examines how an ethnic enclave works to direct its members into American society, while at the same time shielding them from it. Focusing specifically on New York's Chinatown, a community established more than a century ago, Zhou offers a thorough and modern treatment of the enclave as a socioeconomic system, distinct form, but intrinsically linked with, the larger society. Zhou's central theme is that Chinatown does not keep immigrant Chinese from assimilating into mainstream society, but instead provides an alternative means of incorporation into society that does not conflict with cultural distinctiveness. Concentrating on the past two decades, Zhou maintains that community networks and social capital are important resources for reaching socioeconomic goals and social positions in the United States; in Chinatown, ethnic employers use family ties and ethnic resources to advance socially. Relying on her family's networks in New York's Chinatown and her fluency in both Cantonese and Mandarin, the author, who was born in the People's Republic of China, makes extensive use of personal interviews to present a rich picture of the daily work life in the community. She demonstrates that for many immigrants, low-paid menial jobs provide by the enclave are expected as a part of the time-honored path to upward social mobility of the family. Reviews"Chinatown is a captivating story of East meeting West in greater New York City."
ContentsList of Figures
About the Author(s)
Subject CategoriesRace and Ethnicity
In the seriesConflicts in Urban and Regional Development, edited by John R. Logan and Todd Swanstrom. Conflicts in Urban and Regional Development, edited by John R. Logan and Todd Swanstrom, includes books on urban policy and issues of city and regional planning, accounts of the political economy of individual cities, and books that compare policies across cities and countries. |