Wanderers between cultural boundaries: exploring the individual expressions of Chineseness in Newfoundland

Li, Mu (2014) Wanderers between cultural boundaries: exploring the individual expressions of Chineseness in Newfoundland. Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

With less than 2000 members, the Chinese community(-ies) of Newfoundland and Labrador represents the province‘s largest ―visible minority. The Chinese have had a commercial presence since 1895 but their cultural impact has been less visible. My doctoral dissertation examines the Chinese community(-ies) of Newfoundland and Labrador, focusing especially on the St. John‘s area. It traces the experiences of the largest ―visible minority‖ of the youngest province of Canada. Through historical description, fieldwork observation and interpersonal interviews, it documents contemporary Chinese traditions in Newfoundland and explores how individual Chinese Newfoundlanders who may be different from each other in terms of birthplace, language, occupation, socioeconomic class, immigration time and other social and cultural aspects, perceive and present their personal versions of Chineseness. My research challenges the stereotypical notion of the homogeneous Chinese community in Newfoundland and draws attention to the intra-group differences which is highlighted through individuals‘ folkloric practices such as foodways, festival celebrations and cultural performance to comprehensively present how the image of "Chinese in Newfoundland" is established and developed.

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