从“优势移民”到跨国“摆渡人”:欧美外侨在昆明的日常实践与身份转变

From Privileged Immigrants to Transnational"Ferrymen":Daily Life and Identity Transformation of Euro-American Expatriates in Kunming

国际移民研究将发达国家迁至发展中国家的移民称为优势移民。第七次全国人口普查显示:云南省境外人口数量位居全国第二,且呈现出多元化特征。人口总数不多的欧美外侨在昆明依然享有一定的弹性优势,但优势的空间不断被压缩。面对优势危机,以企业家为代表的一部分欧美外侨主动完成身份转换和行动实践,将自我塑造为跨国“摆渡人”。通过走出相对封闭的“侨民气泡”,深度融入本土社会,将本土知识与原有的西方知识整合起来,他们积累了在地发展的新资本。跨国“摆渡人”具有自发性与功利性特征,但他们在连接移民社区与本地社会、地方社会与国际社会的交流合作上发挥的价值也应获得重视。

In international migration studies,migrants from developed countries to developing countries are referred to as"privileged expatriates",whose migration is often interpreted from perspectives of post-colonialism and neo-liberalism and as resulting from economic reasons.China's 7th national census shows that Yunnan has the second largest population of foreign expatriates of highly diversified cultural background.In Kunming,though the Euro-American expatriates still enjoy some privileges,such privileges are becoming fewer and fewer,to an extent that some of them,notably the entrepreneurs,have changed their roles and way of life and transformed themselves into transnational"ferrymen".By stepping out of the relatively exclusive"expat-bubble",they engage themselves more deeply with the local society and try to link local knowledge with their home-country knowledge.This has enabled them to build enough new assets for their development in Kunming.Such"ferrymen"are often spontaneous and utilitarian,but their role as links between immigrant communities and local society,and as bridges in international cooperation should be well recognized.