Chinese but not Chinese? A case study of identity in post-colonial Hong Kong

Abstract

The study of language and identity attracts attention from numerous interrelated disciplines such as social psychology and sociolinguistics. Recent research has seen a move beyond the structuralist idea of identity as static categories to a post-structuralist interpretation of identity as a site of conflict or struggle, and as a dynamic and ever-emergent construct. Migration and globalization provide fruitful contexts for identity research. This chapter focuses on the identity struggle experienced by participants in post-colonial Hong Kong. Data obtained from 65 Hong Kong participants born in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s through quantitative (an ethnic group affiliation questionnaire) and qualitative measures (field notes, informal interviews and conversations) reveal their ambivalence about their own identity. Participants acknowledge an ethnic affiliation with Chinese, but the majority concurrently resists being aligned completely with Chinese mainlanders. Using Hong Kong as a case study, this chapter illustrates the complexity involved in quantifying and qualifying identity, echoing the move towards the study of identity as a multifaceted, multidimensional construct.