Authors:

Cara Chen

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About Paper:

This research examines how economic struggle, irregular migration, and reductive portrayals have shaped the experiences of Fuzhounese Americans in New York City. Unlike Cantonese immigrants, who have gradually moved into the middle class, many Fuzhounese remain socioeconomically marginalized, often confined to low-wage service work and stigmatized through stereotypes of takeout restaurants, nail salons, and construction labor. Their stories, however, reveal both resilience and cultural preservation, qualities that remain underrepresented in academic scholarship. To recover and reframe these narratives, I conducted a review of current literature on the Fuzhounese diaspora, which revealed the persistence of narratives linking the community to criminality and illegality. Building on this foundation, I conducted interviews with Fuzhounese organizations in New York City, such as the Fuzhounese Sisters, and with professors who have worked extensively with the community. These conversations inspired a new direction: creating media, including a photography project, to reframe public perceptions of the Fuzhounese. Particular attention was given to the ethnic enclaves in Manhattan's Chinatown near East Broadway and in Brooklyn's Sunset Park, visually highlighting the economic patterns of Fuzhounese immigration. By situating the Fuzhounese within broader debates on Chinese American identity and urban inequity, this research challenges dominant depictions of illegality that have long dispossessed the community. It argues instead for a more nuanced account of Fuzhounese resilience, tracing how cycles of marginalization have generated alternative economies, cultural practices, and forms of belonging. In reframing their history, this project seeks to amplify an understudied community and contribute to the ongoing redefinition of the Chinese American experience.

Source:

Columbia / Economics, Linguistics / 2028

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Co-authors:

Cara Chen