Search

"The Macanese Diaspora in British Hong Kong: A Century of Transimperial Drifting" by Catherine Chan explores the history of Hong Kong's Macanese diasporic community during the first century of British colonial rule. The book examines the interracial relationships between European, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Malay individuals in Portuguese colonies like Macau, Goa, and Timor, and how these relationships shaped the Macanese community in Hong Kong. Through family records, newspapers, and colonial archives, Chan highlights the transcolonial and global connections of the Macanese diaspora, as well as the local associational cultures that influenced their identity and community-building efforts. The book also addresses the complexities of identity and the impact of European colonial rule on the Macanese community. [Extracted from the article]

The first Macanese diaspora to Hong Kong in the 1840s saw not only the movement of Macau's Luso-Asians to British territory, but also the unfolding of decades of discussion regarding the repressive rule of the Portuguese colonial administration over Macau. From establishing Portuguese-language newspapers to writing to Hong Kong's English-language newspapers, the Macanese found a relatively liberal space in British Hong Kong to address Macau's social and political issues and criticise the Portuguese colonial administration and Portugal away from the Portuguese empire's strict press censorship. Through exploring the ways Macanese newspaper editors and contributors challenged Portuguese policies and maladministration on British soil, this study aims to first, analyse the experience of Hong Kong within the wider context of British press control in its Asian colonies and second, show how trans-border interaction came to be facilitated between Hong Kong and Macau by the movement and activities of a multiracial diasporic community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]