Ethnic Neighborhoods as Places of Leisure and Consumption Presentation prepared for ISA-RC 21 Tokyo Conference at the International House December 17-20, 2008 Ching Lin Pang IMMRC (Interculturalism, Migration & Minorities Research Centre) Social Sciences, KU Leuven Jan Rath IMES, University of Amsterdam

Ethnic enclaves Proliferation of ethnic ‘enclaves’, i.e. concentrations of ethnic minorities c.q. ethnic businesses Initially in traditional immigration countries, now also in Europe. For instance Klein Turkei, Cova de Moura, Banglatown, Chinatown(s) Residential concentrations, also business concentrations

What accounts for rise of commercial enclaves? This phenomenon was traditionally explained by: –Cultural dynamics –Social networks –Exclusionist practices

Mixed embeddedness approach However, (ethnic) entrepreneurs are in the first place business people: they position themselves in a market and seize commercial opportunities. In doing so, they are subject to various forms of regulation Mixed embeddedness approach

This means that: –The rise of ethnic commercial enclaves can only be understood by addressing the nexus of the entrepreneurs’ characteristics and the wider political and economic context –Ethnic commercial enclaves that are seemingly similar may actually be very different, resulting in different outcomes

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels 2 Case Studies: Chinatown Antwerp Chinatown Brussels specific but yet comparable to Chinatowns in other North- Western countries, i.e. UK, the Netherlands and possibly Germany

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Common grounds of Chinese in UK, Benelux and Germany -Similar Chinese migration flows: ‘oldcomers’: onset 20 th century until 1990 ‘newcomers’: from the 1990s onwards -Relatively small size vis-a-vis other immigrants -’Silent’ in discourse multicultural policy -dispersed settlement patters (among oldcomers)

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels

Emergence & development of Chinatown in European context => restrictive immigration policy Thus, it differs from Chinatowns in traditional immigration countries (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand)

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels

Chinatown: concentration of Chinese and other Asian shops, restaurants and services 22 commercial shops: 14 Chinese shops 15 restaurants (12 Chinese, 2 Thai, 1 Japanese)

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Chinatown Antwerp: thriving community life -6 Chinese associations -1 protestant church -1 Buddhist temple -1 Chinese language school -2 martial arts school -1 Nepalese association

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Activities to do in Chinatown: Eating Funshopping Thematic walks Festivals: Chinese New Year, Mid Autumn, Birthday of the Buddha

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels

Factors explaining emergence Chinatown Antwerp bottom-up development: need for meeting point : eating, playing, learning and caring Chinese businesspeople fulfill needs 1&2 Chinese associations fufill needs 3&4

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Interaction city government and the inhabitants of the multi-ethnic neighborhoods: Introduction regeneration scheme Objectives: combat racism and xenophobia combat poverty fostering social cohesion locals-immigrants

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Outcome of the regeneration scheme for the Chinese: sinification of the streetscape promotion and support for cultural experience-performative activities: Chinatown walks, celebration of festivals, both secular as religious

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Chinatown Brussels Clustering of Chinese-Asian Businesses in downtown Brussels

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels

First Asian business people: Vietnamese-Chinese refugees, who started small business in the area Now a wide range of Chinese and Asian entrepreneurs : settled immigrants newly arrived PRC Chinese: students, intellectuals, medical doctors, international Chinese spouses, etc.

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Chinatown Brussels not a physically marked neighborhood absence of Chinese community life integrated in downtown Brussels, Dansaertneighborhood: a former no go area now a trendy, upbeat, ‘branche’ area

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Success of Chinese/Asian business people and Chinatown in Brussels contingent on the interaction with the gentrified neighborhood and its further development

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels What brings the future? Opportunities: -Chinatown= strong brandname -continuous innovation in ethnic economy -integration into the larger economic-social- cultural environment of the city -breaking out of the ethnic niche for some individual Chinese entrepreneurs

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Threats from within: -intra-ethnic problems: reliance of ethnic business on clandestine workers, co-ethnic or other-ethnic -inter-ethnic competition: resistance of other immigrant entrepreneurs to monocultural representation of the public space

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Threats from the outside: Assimilationist turn in migration and migrant policies in most European countries: -intolerance towards non-European language signage and foreign speech in public space -European cultural heritage versus diversified cultural heritage of the city Anti-Chinese sentiments among Europeans as reaction to ascendency of China as global power

Commodification of Cultural Diversity. Case study Chinatown, Antwerp and Brussels Conclusion: Commodification of cultural diversity =not a ‘natural’ process not only agency of entreprising immigrants (social,cultural,human capital) = outcome of the interface of social, cultural, economic and political developments and conditions (mixed embeddedness approach) and with local specificities.