Chinese Diaspora Politics in Australia: Transnational Repression and Social Governance

Integrating theory on diaspora politics and the growing academic area of non-state transnational repression, Young charts the historical and political evolution of the Chinese diaspora and examines Australia’s approach to national security policies.

In recent decades, Chinese migration has increased exponentially in Australia. For a society that has largely accepted racial homogeneity as a precursor to nationhood, contemporary Chinese migrants must find unique transnational spaces where they can belong in the hostland while maintaining important connections to the homeland. Young identifies the emergence of ’transnational social governance’, a form of control that is perpetrated by the contemporary patriotic Chinese migrant (the xinqiao) against other Chinese migrants in Australia. It is a phenomenon facilitated by a feedback loop of the non-welcoming Australian society and well-established co-ethnic spaces, allowing for xinqiao to dominate Chinese diasporic communities and transfer Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-aligned narratives. Drawing upon statistical data and interview-based case studies, this book provides a comprehensive contextual and epistemological examination of the politics of the Chinese diaspora in Australia.

A valuable resource for scholars, students, researchers, and professionals interested in the academic and popular perspectives of diaspora politics affecting Australia-China relations.

Abigail Young, PhD, is an adjunct research fellow at the University of Western Australia. A scholar of diaspora politics, international migration, and transnational repression, her research interests include national and global security, foreign interference, and responsible internationalisation.