Economic Self-determination

Abstract

This chapter looks at why and how ethnic businesses in Hong Kong have come to reflect a minoritization of ethnic minorities from the mainstream. There has been much research and writing about “ethnic enclave economies.” This chapter reassesses the formation, dynamics and challenges of ethnic business clusters as functions of multiculturalism in the context of Hong Kong. Defying the generalized notions of “enclaves” and “ghettos,” it examines how ethnic businesses rest on historical and structural ethnic clustering for their clientele and labor resources. Using the cases of Yuen Long and Jordan, this chapter discusses the symbiotic relationship between ethnic entrepreneurs and ethnic organizations for assistance as well as solidarity, a relationship which also reflects a typical segregation from government or the mainstream non-government organizations (NGO). Building on the previous chapter, it will further demonstrate how these spaces may serve as sites of a trans-local sense of belonging for South Asians, at the juncture of rapid socio-economic changes in Hong Kong and the bordering mainland China.