Comunidades asiáticas en la Europa mediterránea: Transnacionalismo y empresariado

Revista CIDOB d'afers internacionals, núm. 92

This monographic issue opens a new framework for the study of Asian communities settled down in Europe, particularly in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, from a joint, compared and transversal perspective. This makes it a pioneer compendium among the studies on this phenomenon, which is justified by the fact that the settlement of Asian diasporas —Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Philippine, etc. — in this geographical area cannot be understood without considering a wider context, on a European or international scale. After deepening in the fieldwork, the presented works deliberately try to take some distance from the discourses that are influenced by the urgency in the management of migration flows and the ethnic diversity prioritised by governments. These discourses have systematically disregarded the study of the protagonists and their personal paths. Through the different articles in this issue, we see how with the settlement of these communities in countries such as Spain, Greece, France or Portugal, Asian entrepreneurs reinforce the internationalisation of national economies, by linking them to transnational businesses and distribution networks riding on the back of globalisation. It can also be observed how they contribute to host and home societies, enriching the cultural heritage and leaving their distinctive mark on the host daily urban landscape. These Asian diasporas progressively develop links with host societies and local authorities, through their “representatives” or through their elites. Family also emerges as a central institution in the ethnic panorama, in other words, it is the basic structure on which economic and social relations are build. In general terms, it can be affirmed that the presence of Asian people in the Mediterranean is a booming phenomenon, which goes together with the growing link between Mediterranean Europe and Asia; as a transnational phenomenon, it requires a joint, transversal and transnational image that surpasses the traditional national approach.

ISSN: 1133-6595 (edición impresa) / Revista CIDOB d'afers internacionals, núm. 92