The Chinese Diaspora: A History of Globalization

Why are there Chinese in the US, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Peru? Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines? Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Guam, Samoa? Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Cape Verde, Ghana? Spain, Germany, France, Russia, Czech Republic? Mauritius, Madagascar? India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar? Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan? How and when did 50 million Chinese find their way around the world during the past 500 years, from the Ming Dynasty to the present moment? We will explore worldwide distribution of ethnic Chinese through Time (history) and Space (culture) in the so-called “Chinese diaspora,” and examine questions of migration, identity, belonging, politics and conflict.