Integration among Barbarians and Tyrants : an analysis of the relationship between the locals and the migrants of a Chinese industrialised village and the different ways children and adults adjust to life in a new place

Abstract

This thesis is an analysis of the relationship between the local population and the migrant workers in a Chinese industrialised village. The mutual antagonisms and the segregation between the two groups are so profound that certain traits commonly associated with ethnicity are identifiable. One of the most important underlying reasons for the conflict is the fact that both groups perceive the other as threatening. The study suggests that this is a reflection of the substantial social changes that are the results of the dramatic economic growth and development the village has undergone during the last few years.

Through practices and expressed views the adult segment of the migrant community conveys their negative outlooks of Xinan to the migrant children. Moreover many directly prevent their children from adjusting and integrating. Through a comparison of the practices of the adults with those of the children I assess the impact of education and socialisation on children. I suggest that the practices and attitudes of the migrant children both reflect and differ from the patterns of integration of their parents. In general, the children hold more positive views and integrate to a greater degree than do their parents.