Out of China. Auto-organization of Chinese communities abroad and transnationalism

Chinese society throughout history has developed various types of organizations outside the control of the state in order to defend and promote interests of specific social segments. Internal and international migratory movements from China have led also to the creation of many associations which differ by its objectives, functions and criteria for recruiting members. There is a debate about the control, or not, by the Chinese State on migrants’ associations abroad, as well as on their legitimacy. In this paper will be analyzed these debates and their connections with transnationalism, affecting concepts such as loyalty, nationalism, and “integration”.