China in Argentina

This is the first book to shed light on the growing presence, influence and expansion of China in the daily life of Argentina. While most previous academic studies focus on the geopolitical and macroeconomics dimensions of the relations between Argentina and China, this book shows at a micro-social level the multiple facets of the economic, political and social influence of China in Argentina. The book presents ethnographic studies of encounters of actors and negotiation of identities from Argentina and China in companies, schools, restaurants, hospitals, districts, public and private institutions in Argentina. Themes discussed in the ethnographies include: identity struggle and strategic uses of culture in Buenos Aires' s Chinatown; teaching Chinese as the first foreign language or teaching it as a heritage language in a bilingual school; the contested production of images of Chinese authenticity in Chinese restaurants; the connections and contestations between so-called Western medicine and so-called Chinese Traditional Medicine; and the conflictive relations between Chinese expatriate bosses of Chinese state-owned enterprises and their Argentinean employees.

Sheds light on the growing presence of China in Argentina Presents ethnographies of Argentina-China encounters Foreword by Lisa Rofel, a renowned specialist in China

Autorentext
Máximo Badaró is Researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET, Argentina) and Professor of Social Anthropology at the Universidad Nacional de San Martin (UNSAM, Argentina), where he is also the director of the Bachelor Degree Program in Social Anthropology.

Inhalt

Chapter 1 Introduction. China in Argentina: ethnographic perspectives of a global expansion.- Chapter 2 Today we are all Chinatown: identity struggle and strategic uses of culture in Buenos Aires' Chinatown.- Chapter 3 The language of the future: Mandarin Chinese as cultural identity and merchandise in an Argentine-Chinese bilingual school in Buenos Aires.- Chapter 4 This is not Chinese food: relocation, authenticity and global cuisines in Chinese restaurants in Buenos Aires.- Chapter 5 Chinese medicine is not just acupuncture: the experience of Chinese immigrants in the Argentinian healthcare system.- Chapter 6 Avoiding encounters: an ethnographic analysis of Sino-Argentine business relationships in Argentina's oil industry.- Chapter 7 Now is all about China: recent developments in Chinese Studies in Argentina.