Migration and the Media: Debating Chinese Migration to Italy, 1992-2012

The first book to analyze cultural dynamics of Chinese migration to Italy between 1992 and 2012, Migration and the Media compares Italian, Chinese migrant, and international media interpretations. During this twenty-year period, the media covered this migration extensively, revealing the eye-opening characteristics of Italy’s Chinese community. Gaoheng Zhang places the strong media interest in Italian-Chinese migrant relations within relevant economic, political, cultural, and linguistic contexts. Examining how journalists, entrepreneurs, and politicians debated Italy’s Chinese, Zhang argues that these stakeholders viewed the migration as a particularly effective example to support or dispute Italy’s general stance toward migrant integration and economic globalization. Zhang also proposes that an Italian-Chinese migrant cultural repertoire offered the stakeholders resources to cover the migration.