Echoes of family : Chinese-Australian belonging(s) in Perth, Western Australia

Abstract

This is a study about belonging(s), entangled ones that transcend spatial and temporal boundaries. It is about the processes through which a diasporic community - the Chinese in Perth, Western Australia (W.A.) - struggle to become a part of their adopted land. It is also about the ways in which the Perth Chinese have actively engaged their quest for Chinese-Australian belonging(s) by (re-)interpreting, posturing and positioning their Chinese-ness. Belonging(s) is an issue that underlines recent discussions on cultural hybridisation, race and Australian national identity within 'Asian-Australian' communities, a category the Chinese in Perth (and the Chinese in Australia, for that matter) are seen to be a part of. I hope to contribute to these discussions, particularly in illuminating the negotiations that take place within the community in their struggle to find an acceptable cultural location of belonging(s), both for wider Australian society and themselves. In focussing on the internal processes through which the community seeks to resolve its quest for belonging(s), I hope to provide a bottom-up approach to the study of a particular Asian-Australian community.