Media and the Chinese Diaspora

The importance of the Chinese diaspora is widely recognized. Wanning Sun examines the key role of the media in the Chinese diaspora. She focuses especially on the media's role in communication, in fostering a sense of community, in defining different kinds of 'transnational Chineseness' - overseas Chinese communities are often very different from one country to another - and in showing how media communication is linked to commerce, which is often a key activity of the overseas Chinese. Revealing a great deal about the vibrancy and dynamism of the Chinese-language media, the book considers the Chinese diaspora in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, showing how it plays a crucial role in the changing nature of the Chinese diaspora.

Introduction: Transnationalism and a Global Diasporic Chinese Mediasphere 1. Disconnecting Transnational Ties: The Chinese Weekly and the Transformation of Chinese American Community after World War II 2. Chinese Language Media and Immigrant Life in the United States and Canada 3. Gossips about Stars: Newspaper and Pop Culture China 4. 'A Hundred Flowers Bloom': The Re-Emergence of the Chinese Press in Post Suharto Indonesia 5. 'Chinese' Indonesians in National Cinema 6. Chinese Newspapers, Ethnic Identity and the State: The Case of Malaysia 7. Radio-Activated Business and Power: A Case Study of 3CW Melbourne Chinese Radio 8. Chinese Media in New Zealand: Transnational Outpost or Unchecked Floodtide?