Chinese Migration to Europe Prato, Italy, and beyond

Through an analysis of Chinese migration to Europe, this volume examines the most pressing migration and integration issues facing many societies today, from the political and policy-based challenges of managing increasingly diverse communities, to individual lived experiences of identity and belonging.

In addition to chapters on the UK, France and Italy, the book spotlights one of the most extraordinary examples of Chinese migration to Europe: that provided by the city of Prato, just 20km from Florence in Tuscany, Italy. Renowned for its historic textile industry, Prato is now home to one of the largest populations of Chinese residents in Europe, a phenomenon that is remarkable not only for its magnitude but also for the speed with which it has developed.

This edited collection, which brings together twenty-seven separate contributors, deepens our understanding of the case of Prato within the context of Chinese migration to the new Europe.

Loretta Baldassar is Professor and Discipline Chair in the department of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Western Australia, Australia, and Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University, Australia. Baldassar has published extensively on migration and transnational families She was Director of the Monash Centre in Prato, Italy, from 2009 to 2011.
 
Associate Professor Graeme Johanson co-edited one of the first books on Chinese migration to Prato, since translated into Italian and Chinese. At Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, Johanson undertook many projects which explore the contribution of information and communications technologies to the welfare of marginalised groups such as migrants.
 
Narelle McAuliffe has worked as a Research Officer for the Monash University Prato Centre, Italy, since 2009. She also now co-ordinates the Monash Faculty of Arts' international study programs in Prato. McAuliffe has a Master of Arts by research in Italian linguistics from The University of Western Australia.
 
Massimo Bressan is President of IRIS (Istituto di Ricerche e Interventi Sociali, Italy) and an anthropologist. He carries out social and evaluation research and he acts as a consultant for social, economic and area planning. He teaches urban cultural anthropology in the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Florence, Italy.

1. Chinese Migration To The New Europe: The Case Of Prato; Loretta Baldassar; Graeme Johanson; Narelle Mcauliffe; Massimo Bressan
PART I
2. The Chinese In Prato And The Current Outlook On The Chinese-Italian Experience; Gabi Dei Ottati; Daniele Brigadoi Cologna
3. Migrants Of Chinese Origin In France: Economic And Social Integration; Emmanuel Ma Mung
4. The British Chinese: A Typical Trajectory Of 'Integration'?; Miri Song
PART II: CHINESE IN PRATO: INTEGRATION AND INCLUSION
5. The 'Chinese Deviant': Building The Perfect Enemy In A Local Arena; Fabio Bracci
6. Second Generation Chinese And New Processes Of Social Integration In Italy; Anna Marsden
7. Spaces Speak Louder Than Words: Contesting Social Inclusion Through Conflicting Rhetoric About Prato's Chinatown; Roberta Raffaetà; Loretta Baldassar
8. Media And Discourses Of Chinese Integration In Prato, Italy: Some Preliminary Thoughts; Kevin Latham
9. The Integration Process And Social Mobility: Examining Chinese Immigration In The Industrial District Of Prato; Fabio Berti; Andrea Valzania
PART III: CHINESE IN PRATO: LOCAL, NATIONAL AND TRANSNATIONAL NETWORKS
10. Ties That Bond: Mobile Phones And The Chinese In Prato; Graeme Johanson And Anja Fladrich
11. Adherence To Asian Values Amongst Wenzhouese In Wenzhou And First Generation Wenzhouese Migrants In Prato; Laura De Pretto
12. Religion And The Lives Of The Overseas Chinese: What Explains The Great Silence Of Prato?; Marika Vicziany; Anja Michaela Fladrich; A. Andrea Di Castro
13. Debunking The Chinese Threat: Findings From Prato; Xander Ong; Susan Freeman; Brian K. Cooper
PART IV: CHINESE IN ITALY: SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL BELONGING
14. Bilingualism Among Children Of Chinese Origin In Italy; Maria Omodeo
15. Becoming Laoban [Boss]: Questioning The Peculiarity Of Professional Trajectories And Strategies Of Chinese Migrant Entrepreneurs; Melissa Blanchard; Eleonora Castagnone
16 Chinese Micro-Entrepreneurship In Italy: A Place-Based Explanatory Analysis; Silvia Lombardi; Franco Lorenzini; Flavio Verrecchia