Constructing a theory of individual space: understanding transnational migration through the experience of return Chinese immigrants from Canada in Beijing

Abstract

Drawing on life history research, this study critically examines the transnational experiences of return Chinese immigrants from Canada in Beijing. Through the accounts of their experiences, it explores different integration and reintegration strategies, including self-adjustment, lifelong learning and flexible citizenship. A native concept of ‘space’ is examined and a theory of individual space (IS) is constructed. The study demonstrates that immigrants' integration is a process of constant construction and reconstruction of their expected IS in various societies. This space defines the self and its relationship to others and the outside world. By spatial transformation, migrants break spatial limitations to seek a better future. The tension between IS and the society the migrant enters determines the ongoing characteristics of contemporary transnational migration.