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Chinese in Dubai offers the first book-length study of the experiences of overseas Chinese living in the most prominent global city in the Arabian Gulf and the broader Middle East region. Evolving around three themesâmoney, pride, and spirituality, this book delineates the changing shape of Chinese spaces in metropolitan Dubai, explicates how a frontier mentality affects intergroup relations, identity construction, and religious experiences in the Chinese diaspora. It documents how the Chinese make sense of their struggles, sufferings, prosperity, and success in relation to Dubaiâs fast changing social environment. This book is a timely endeavour to gauge the implications of a rising China and the shifting patterns of the international economic and political order for the global Chinese diaspora.
Yuting Wang is Associate Professor of Sociology at the American University of Sharjah. She has published widely on transnational migrants, especially Muslim minorities, including Between Islam and the American Dream: An Immigrant Muslim Community in Post-9/11 America (Routledge, 2014).
"This rich and insightful book goes beyond the conventional state-centric narratives that dominate contemporary discussions on Sino-Gulf relations. It provides an in-depth look into the history of the Chinese diasporic community in Dubai, its dynamic cultural and religious life, and the âfrontier mentalityâ it has cultivated in coping with a cosmopolitan yet alien Muslim environment. It contributes to our understanding of the human dimension underpinning Chinaâs evolving footprint in the Middle East."
â Mohammed Al-Sudairi, The University of Hong Kong & King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia
âDr. Wang offers a landmark study of the Chinese community in Dubai. She gives us a clear and compelling insider's look into the lives of the Chinese in Dubai, who survive and thrive there with their "frontier mentality." This book is absolute required reading for anyone wishing to understand new Asian migration to the Global South.â
â Carolyn Chen, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, University of California at Berkeley
"This is a clearly conceived, well organized, painstakingly researched, and carefully written work. The author pursues ideas that are seldom treated in great depth or at book length. Her approach is sensitive to the history of its main case, yet it is also thoroughly up-to-the-minute in its implications for diplomacy, policy, and planning. The ethnographic observations transport the reader in and through the lives of the Chinese minority in Dubai. Specialists in religion will be pleased to discover not one but two analyses of spiritual striving in the Chinese community. The first discusses the yearning among some Chinese migrants for religious meaning amid conditions of cultural dislocation and economic abundance, while the second examines the strategic social position of Chinese Muslims in Dubai as non-Arab co-religionists of the host Emiratis."
â Kevin J. Christiano, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame
âYuting Wangâs path-breaking book enters a realm which, surprisingly, has seldom been touched upon before. Chinaâs burgeoning engagement in the Global South is well-known, but the lived experience of those Chinese forming the human presence of that engagement has remained largely undocumented. Wang brings a radical end to this neglect. Her experience as part of the local Chinese community in Dubai adds a dimension of perception which few other academics can have. The book combines deep insight with objective and judicious assessment.â
â Tim Niblock, Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University & Emeritus Professor at University of Exeter
Chinese in Dubai is a seminal study of the Chinese diaspora in Dubai, UAE. This book is a much-needed pioneering study that makes important contributions to global migration studies, urban sociology, and the sociology of religion.
â Brandon Vaidyanathan, Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology at The Catholic University of America
âThis is the first scholarly study of the Chinese community in Dubai. It provides fascinating stories through ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews, and aptly situates them in social, political, cultural, and global contexts. The âfrontier mentalityâ of the modern-day Chinese migrants in this global frontier, where the Muslim Middle East, the West, the Global South, and the Global East intersect, offers an intriguing interpretation of the social and spiritual life there. Readers may find resonances of meaning-making in a place of permanent impermanence. It is very readable and highly recommended.â
â Fenggang Yang, Professor of Sociology & Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society, Purdue University
â Mohammed Al-Sudairi, The University of Hong Kong & King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia
âDr. Wang offers a landmark study of the Chinese community in Dubai. She gives us a clear and compelling insider's look into the lives of the Chinese in Dubai, who survive and thrive there with their "frontier mentality." This book is absolute required reading for anyone wishing to understand new Asian migration to the Global South.â
â Carolyn Chen, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, University of California at Berkeley
"This is a clearly conceived, well organized, painstakingly researched, and carefully written work. The author pursues ideas that are seldom treated in great depth or at book length. Her approach is sensitive to the history of its main case, yet it is also thoroughly up-to-the-minute in its implications for diplomacy, policy, and planning. The ethnographic observations transport the reader in and through the lives of the Chinese minority in Dubai. Specialists in religion will be pleased to discover not one but two analyses of spiritual striving in the Chinese community. The first discusses the yearning among some Chinese migrants for religious meaning amid conditions of cultural dislocation and economic abundance, while the second examines the strategic social position of Chinese Muslims in Dubai as non-Arab co-religionists of the host Emiratis."
â Kevin J. Christiano, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame
âYuting Wangâs path-breaking book enters a realm which, surprisingly, has seldom been touched upon before. Chinaâs burgeoning engagement in the Global South is well-known, but the lived experience of those Chinese forming the human presence of that engagement has remained largely undocumented. Wang brings a radical end to this neglect. Her experience as part of the local Chinese community in Dubai adds a dimension of perception which few other academics can have. The book combines deep insight with objective and judicious assessment.â
â Tim Niblock, Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University & Emeritus Professor at University of Exeter
Chinese in Dubai is a seminal study of the Chinese diaspora in Dubai, UAE. This book is a much-needed pioneering study that makes important contributions to global migration studies, urban sociology, and the sociology of religion.
â Brandon Vaidyanathan, Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology at The Catholic University of America
âThis is the first scholarly study of the Chinese community in Dubai. It provides fascinating stories through ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews, and aptly situates them in social, political, cultural, and global contexts. The âfrontier mentalityâ of the modern-day Chinese migrants in this global frontier, where the Muslim Middle East, the West, the Global South, and the Global East intersect, offers an intriguing interpretation of the social and spiritual life there. Readers may find resonances of meaning-making in a place of permanent impermanence. It is very readable and highly recommended.â
â Fenggang Yang, Professor of Sociology & Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society, Purdue University
Acknowledgement
List of Figures and Tables
Introduction: Entering the Frontier of Overseas Chinese Studies
â1âShaking Hands with the Chinese: Dubaiâs Eastward Turn to China
â2âStudying Overseas Chinese in Dubai: Developing a Conceptual Framework
â3âConducting Ethnography on Overseas Chinese in Dubai: Methodological Consideration
â4âStructure of the Book
1 Destination Dubai: from a Fishing Village to a Global City
â1âThe Humble Beginning
â2âPre-Oil Economy: Pearling and Trade
â3âThe Discovery of Oil and the Birth of a Nation
â4âThe Making of a Global City: Economic Diversification and Branding Dubai
â5âDubai as a City of Migrants
â6âStaying ahead of the Game: Dubaiâs Answers to Regional Instability
â7âTurning toward the East
â8âHappiness as the Ultimate Indictor of Development
â9âConclusion
2 The Making of Chinese Spaces in Dubai: Nasser Square, Dragon Mart, and Beyond
â1âEarly Presence: from Pilgrims to Traders
â2âGlobal Trade and the Formation of Chinatowns in Dubai
â3âBeyond Chinatown: Economic Diversification and New Chinese Spaces in a Global City
â4âCaveats in the Study of Overseas Chinese in Dubai
3 Being Chinese in Dubai: Pride, Prejudice, and the Frontier Mentality
â1âFacing Stereotypes: the Good, Bad, and Ugly
â2âUnpacking Stereotypes: Compounding Factors
â3âMeet the Chinese in Dubai: a Diverse Community
â4âFrontier Mentality: Finding Pride and Fighting Prejudice
â5âConclusion: Knocking on the Door of the Mainstream
4 Soul-Searching: Diverse Religious Experiences among Overseas Chinese in Dubai
â1âChanging Religiosity among Chinese Migrants
â2âStudying Chinese Religious Conversion: from Personal Bonds to Social Contexts
â3âBecoming Muslim: Acculturation and Conversion
â4âChoosing Christianity over Islam: Cultural and Institutional Factors
â5âMaking Buddhist Space in Dubai: Beyond Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy
â6âSoul-Searching in the Desert: Similarities and Variations
5 Chinese Muslims in Dubai: from Middlemen Minority to Cultural Ambassador
â1âThe Double Marginality of Chinese Hui Muslims
â2âCultural Exchange as a Vocation: the Prototype of a Model Minority
â3âChinese Emirati: from Margin to Center
â4âBeing the Good Citizen in Dubai: from Middleman to Cultural Ambassador
â5âConclusion: the Making of Chinaâs âGood Muslimsâ in Dubai
6 Chinaâs âSoft Powerâ and the Future of the Chinese Community in Dubai
â1ââChinese Feverâ and the Education Dilemma of Chinese Expatriates in Dubai
â2âChinaâs Soft Power in the United Arab Emirates
â3âConclusion
Conclusion: The Chinese in Dubai: toward a New Direction in Overseas Chinese Studies
Epilogue
Appendix
References
List of Figures and Tables
Introduction: Entering the Frontier of Overseas Chinese Studies
â1âShaking Hands with the Chinese: Dubaiâs Eastward Turn to China
â2âStudying Overseas Chinese in Dubai: Developing a Conceptual Framework
â3âConducting Ethnography on Overseas Chinese in Dubai: Methodological Consideration
â4âStructure of the Book
1 Destination Dubai: from a Fishing Village to a Global City
â1âThe Humble Beginning
â2âPre-Oil Economy: Pearling and Trade
â3âThe Discovery of Oil and the Birth of a Nation
â4âThe Making of a Global City: Economic Diversification and Branding Dubai
â5âDubai as a City of Migrants
â6âStaying ahead of the Game: Dubaiâs Answers to Regional Instability
â7âTurning toward the East
â8âHappiness as the Ultimate Indictor of Development
â9âConclusion
2 The Making of Chinese Spaces in Dubai: Nasser Square, Dragon Mart, and Beyond
â1âEarly Presence: from Pilgrims to Traders
â2âGlobal Trade and the Formation of Chinatowns in Dubai
â3âBeyond Chinatown: Economic Diversification and New Chinese Spaces in a Global City
â4âCaveats in the Study of Overseas Chinese in Dubai
3 Being Chinese in Dubai: Pride, Prejudice, and the Frontier Mentality
â1âFacing Stereotypes: the Good, Bad, and Ugly
â2âUnpacking Stereotypes: Compounding Factors
â3âMeet the Chinese in Dubai: a Diverse Community
â4âFrontier Mentality: Finding Pride and Fighting Prejudice
â5âConclusion: Knocking on the Door of the Mainstream
4 Soul-Searching: Diverse Religious Experiences among Overseas Chinese in Dubai
â1âChanging Religiosity among Chinese Migrants
â2âStudying Chinese Religious Conversion: from Personal Bonds to Social Contexts
â3âBecoming Muslim: Acculturation and Conversion
â4âChoosing Christianity over Islam: Cultural and Institutional Factors
â5âMaking Buddhist Space in Dubai: Beyond Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy
â6âSoul-Searching in the Desert: Similarities and Variations
5 Chinese Muslims in Dubai: from Middlemen Minority to Cultural Ambassador
â1âThe Double Marginality of Chinese Hui Muslims
â2âCultural Exchange as a Vocation: the Prototype of a Model Minority
â3âChinese Emirati: from Margin to Center
â4âBeing the Good Citizen in Dubai: from Middleman to Cultural Ambassador
â5âConclusion: the Making of Chinaâs âGood Muslimsâ in Dubai
6 Chinaâs âSoft Powerâ and the Future of the Chinese Community in Dubai
â1ââChinese Feverâ and the Education Dilemma of Chinese Expatriates in Dubai
â2âChinaâs Soft Power in the United Arab Emirates
â3âConclusion
Conclusion: The Chinese in Dubai: toward a New Direction in Overseas Chinese Studies
Epilogue
Appendix
References
Scholars, political and business analysts, and those in the general public with interests in topics covering overseas Chinese, China-Arabian Gulf/Middle East relations, the implications of Chinaâs rise, as well as religion and spirituality in Chinese societies.