Becoming a Rooted Cosmopolitan? The Case Study of 1.5 Generation New Chinese Migrants in New Zealand

Abstract

AbstractDrawing on qualitative research with 45 Chinese 1.5 generation migrants in New Zealand, this paper examines how migration processes intersect with cosmopolitan manifestations at an everyday level. Theoretically, it takes shape within a growing body of literature on cosmopolitanism that provides new insights into understanding migration and mobilities. Empirically, it is situated within the context of a growing trend of Chinese migration to New Zealand, a country experiencing increasing ethnic diversity. Employing the concept of “rooted cosmopolitanism,” the paper explores how different degrees of a sense of rootedness interrelate with the strength of cosmopolitan openness to cultural others, as displayed in daily interactions. It demonstrates that rootedness and cosmopolitan openness are not mutually exclusive, but simultaneously coexist and even mutually strengthen each other. It argues that the process of becoming a rooted cosmopolitan is not straightforward but demands constant work to strategically negotiate the interacting dynamics between openness and its seeming counter-discourse–rootedness.