Book Talk: Global Hong Kong: Post-2019 Hong Kong migration and the new Hong Kong diaspora

It is estimated that over 200,000 Hong Kong residents have emigrated to various destinations since 2019. This newly published book — Global Hong Kong: Post-2019 Hong Kong migration and the new Hong Kong diaspora (edited by Yuk Wah Chan and Yvette To) — examines how Hong Kong migrants settling in the UK, Canada, Australia, and Taiwan navigate their evolving identities, home-building processes, and family strategies. Building on the concept of “global Hong Kong”, it reveals how Hong Kong migrants have formed dynamic communities abroad, supported by local and transnational networks, resulting in the emergence of distinctive HK diasporas in the destinations. This seminar will also highlight the significant role of politics in shaping migration policies.

Speaker's bio: Prof. Yvette TO is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.  Her research centres on China's modernisation and the impacts this has on China's relations with other countries. She adopts a political economy approach to understand how policies and their results are influenced by institutions, interests and power. Prof. To also researches migration, in particular, how intermediaries influence migratory patterns, and how social networks affect migrant settlement. Her work has appeared in renowned international journals, including New Political Economy and The American Behavioural Scientist. Active in commenting issues surrounding Hong Kong and China, she contributed opinion pieces to the South China Morning Post, and was interviewed by the CNN, The Straits Times, and the South China Morning Post on topics related to China's technological development.

Professor Michaela Benson, Professor in Public Sociology at Lancaster University and author of the book chapter “Global Britain: The Coloniality of Migration and the Hong Kong BN(O) Visa”, will also be present at the talk to answer questions from the audience.

This event is organised in partnership with Nomad Reading Darllen Nomad C.B.C. It is a UK-based Hong Kong reading community aiming to promote reading and other types of cultural activities.