‘Anyway, you are an outsider’: Temporary migrants in urban China

Huimin Du, Si-ming Li and Pu Hao
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Huimin Du: Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Si-ming Li: Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Pu Hao: Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong

Urban Studies, 2018, vol. 55, issue 14, 3185-3201

Abstract: In this paper, we extend recent discussions on the relationship with the host place of ‘temporary’ or non- hukou migrants in major Chinese cities through the lens of three psychological processes: familiarity, attachment and identity. The empirical analysis is based on fieldwork conducted in selected villages-in-the-city in Guangzhou. A mixed methods approach is employed. The findings highlight the emotional distance between temporary migrants and their urban milieu: while some become familiar with the city through their prolonged stay, very few establish attachment and identity. The analysis shows that the dominance of indigenous villagers is a major obstacle for migrants to develop attachment to the given village-in-the-city; moreover, perceived institutional discriminations negatively affect migrants’ attachment to the city. The findings also corroborate a social constructionist perception of place identity: when place identity is legitimated and reproduced by the hukou system, it is difficult for migrants to challenge the hegemonic constructions of place and identity and to create their own narratives of identities.

Keywords: people–place relationship; place attachment; place identity; spatial familiarity; temporary migrants; 人地关系; åœ°æ–¹ä¾ æ ‹; åœ°æ–¹è®¤å Œ; 空间熟悉; 临时移民 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:55:y:2018:i:14:p:3185-3201

DOI: 10.1177/0042098017691464

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