Chasing the American Dream in China

Chinese Americans in the Ancestral Homeland

Leslie Kim Wang

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780813599366, 9780813599373
• eBook ISBN: 9780813599380
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Asian Politics
• Index: Social Sciences

Few studies have highlighted the stories of middle-class children of immigrants who move to their ancestral homelands—countries with which they share cultural ties but haven't necessarily had direct contact. Chasing the American Dream in China addresses this gap by examining the lives of highly educated American-born Chinese (ABC) professionals who "return" to the People's Republic of China to build their careers. Analyzing the motivations and experiences of these individuals deepens our knowledge about transnationalism among the second-generation as they grapple with complex issues of identity and societal belonging in the ethnic homeland. This book demonstrates how these professional migrants maneuver between countries and cultures to further their careers and maximize opportunities in the rapidly changing global economy. When used strategically, the versatile nature of their ethnic identities positions them as indispensable bridges between the global superpowers of China and the United States in their competition for global dominance.
 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Growing Up In-Between: Chinese American Identity and Belonging in the United States
• 3. Creating the “Non-American American Dream” Overseas: Strategic In-Betweenness in Action
• 4. Perpetually Chinese but Not Chinese Enough for China
• 5. “Leftover Women” and “Kings of the Candy Shop”: The Gendered Experiences of ABCs in the Ancestral Homeland
• 6. Conclusion
• Appendix: Research Methods
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• References
• Index
• About the Author