The socio-political activism of Chinese community organisations in Canberra and Sydney

Abstract

This thesis investigates the latest developmental trends and main patterns of socio-political activism of overseas Chinese organisations via a case study of Chinese communities in Canberra and Sydney. It also explores the adaptive strategies adopted by these organisations, which correspond with intertwining sets of political opportunity structures home and abroad and are conducive to the optimal accumulation of ethnic capital in the transnational field. Drawing on the anthropologist, institutionalist and transnationalist approaches and developing the notion of transmigrants, the thesis proposes an interpretive model of ethnic capital conversion to account for the divergent developmental paths of different types of Chinese organisations in Australia. In this study, Australian multicultural policy and overseas Chinese policy are regarded as the twin pillars of the synthesised political opportunity structure, under which Chinese organisational activism unfolds. The data gathered from my fieldwork shows a strong correlation between the transformation of Chinese organisations in Australia and the predominant policy imperatives of Australia and China. Broadly speaking, two types of strategies could be identified among a plethora of organisations: the modernising reform of local-oriented organisations and the transnational networking of homebound organisations. On the one hand, local-oriented organisations actively engage with the multicultural discourse of the host society and initiate structural reforms to enhance their "Whiteness", as reflected in the formalisation of governance structure, ascendance of professional class in constituting community leadership, transformation of organisational culture and diversification of financial sources. Four major modes of organisational activism in the domestic context are discussed, including ethnically-based social participation, cultural maintenance, service provision and political advocacy and representation, all of which accord with the policy priorities of the host society. On the other hand, the viability of overseas-oriented organisations lies in their capacity of networking with political elites of both countries. To fulfil this purpose, they have a greater reliance on the guanxi system and display a willingness to cater to the pan-nationalist agenda of China. Citing numerous examples of economic, socio-cultural and political exchanges by transnational Chinese organisations, the thesis highlights the centrality of cross-border networking in their operation and comes up with a pattern of their developmental stages: primitive resource accumulation in the host society, resource input from the home country and transnational expansion through the integration of resources. Finally, the thesis argues that the latest thrusts of Chinese organisational development in Australia correspond with different channels of ethnic capital conversion, which result in a maximisation of the aggregate capitals possessed by the Chinese transmigrants. Although primarily motivated by self-interests, the transnational actors are ingenuous in aligning their interests with policy concerns of multiple political powers, and through their bridging roles, contribute to the deepening of bilateral relationship between Australia and China. Show more