Imagining the Homeland: The Internet and Diasporic Discourse of Nationalism

Abstract

This article examines the identity discourses of Chinese migrants in cyberspace in the light of contemporary theorizing of Chinese national identities and Chinese nationalism. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, based on the textual analysis of postings on Internet forums frequented by migrants from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) who are currently studying and working in Singapore, and in-depth interviews with the forum participants. Findings show that the Internet opens up liminal spaces from which migrants can resist, challenge, and speak against regimes of truth imposed on them by their homeland and the host society. Furthermore, the combination of text and image on the forums enable the migrants from the PRC to produce an online imaginary of China as a superpower and an empire, thus articulating a form of resistance against the perceived hegemony of the United States in the international system and the disciplining of the host state.