Chinese Enterprise, Transnationalism and Identity

Book excerpt: First Published in 2004. Chinese Enterprise, Transnationalism, and Identity focuses on one ethnic community – the Chinese – and examines the variety of issues surrounding enterprise development from national and transnational perspectives, starting with the role played by Chinese entrepreneurs in the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Using empirical evidence and theoretical debate, the contributors argue that Chinese enterprise is accelerated by intra-ethnic competition, rather than intra-ethnic cooperation, and that businessmen work in their own interest, not that of the Chinese community, as other literature dealing with the subject suggests. Themes which this book radically reviews include: • Culture and networks. • Family business. • Ownership and control. • Transnationalism and identity. By carefully tracing the emergence of new generations, the contributors suggest that new forms of ethnic identification and of national identity and affiliation have emerged. With its combined analysis of ethnic minorities in Asia and of Chinese business, this book will appeal to scholars of Asian and business studies alike.