Diaspora and Trust

"Based on fifteen years of field research in Cuba, Mexico, and China, Diaspora and Trust gives us an insightful bottom-up account of the complex relationship between receiving societies, and the resident Chinese immigrant communities. An original and important contribution to the field of immigrant transnationalism and the rising literature on Sino-Latin American economic and political relations." - Alejandro Portes, Professor of Sociology Emeritus, Princeton University and Research Professor, University of Miami

"In examining China’s growing engagement with Latin America, Adrian H. Hearn offers a much-needed bottom-up perspective by focusing on local actors, specifically leaders and entrepreneurs of the historic Chinese communities of socialist Cuba and neoliberal Mexico.  Relying more on thick ethnography than voluminous government statistics and documents, on the significance and limitations of formal and informal “trust” in relationships than on ponderous rules and regulations, he humanizes the story and provides a rich new chapter in the history of the Chinese diaspora in Latin America and Caribbean." - Evelyn Hu-DeHart, Professor of History, American Studies, and Ethnic Studies, Brown University

"The book is a very instructive study on evolving Sino-Cuban and Sino-Mexican worlds that also offers a lesson to the United States in the time of the Trans-Paci?c Trade Agreement." - Juliane Müller, Anthropological Quarterly

"Hearn’s study points up the value of incorporating trust and social capital as analytical categories to help make sense of micro- and macro-level interactions. The question is whether policy makers will heed the advice Hearn’s study suggests." - Steven J. Bachelor, The Latin Americanist

"As a cultural anthropologist who has studied social capital for the duration of his career, Hearn is well positioned to observe the fine-grained details of informal connection and exchange in all three countries as they confront the stresses and possibilities introduced by China’s growing influence." - Amelia Weinreb, The Americas

"Hearn renders a book that is well researched, refined, important, and timely. Most impressive of all, Diaspora and Trust is accessible without lacking complexity or sophistication. It will appeal to academics and nonacademics equally." - Dalia Antonia Muller, New West Indian Guide

"An important book. . . . Diaspora and Trust deserves thoughtful consideration from scholars of Asia's transpacific communities as well as those who study immigration, anthropology, and history." - Grace Pena Delgado, Journal of Chinese Overseas

"A unique blending of macrolevel economic analysis and microlevel ethnographic work, Adrian Hearn moves fluidly between different scales of analysis, steeping readers in a discussion of international trade agreements and shifting national economic policies, while inviting them into the ramshackle building of a Chinese association in Havana’s barrio chino, or a Tijuana taxi cab where local actors humanize statistics and acronyms. . . . Well researched, refined, important, and timely. Most impressive of all, Diaspora and Trust is accessible without lacking complexity or sophistication. It will appeal to academics and nonacademics equally." - Dalia Antonia Muller, New West Indian Guide