Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Shi, Xia

Keywords

China, Discrimination, Migrants, Housing, Economics

Area of Concentration

East Asian Studies

Abstract

This thesis examines the complexities and implications of the interactions among migrant groups and government authority in the arena of housing acquisition in contemporary China. As a limited resource essential to urban life and closely linked to government authority, housing is a prized commodity to migrants, urban residents, and governments alike, and therefore offers an excellent launching point for exploring the competing interests of these groups. Current scholarship tends to focus on the marginalization of migrants and obstacles to migrant social mobility, but few researchers address the crucial importance of migrant agency in housing acquisition, or acknowledge the differences among migrant groups and among government institutions. This study relies on an assortment of case studies which span several distinct regions in China to present a comprehensive perspective on the realities of migrant life, incorporating migrant voices as well as government concerns. Migrants and government authority are presented as more than homogenous groups, and are instead approached as complex, multifaceted systems whose interactions defy generalization. This analysis concludes that, while migrants continue to face institutional and societal discrimination, the growing importance of economic wealth and the prevalence of informed and calculated migrant behavior is increasing the influence and agency of China’s migrants in urban China.

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