The Pursuit of Entrepreneurial Subjectivity: A Case Study of New Chinese Immigrants to Thailand

Authors

Aranya SiriphonFollow
Jiangyu LiFollow

Abstract

This study is concerned with Chinese who study in Chiang Mai province and how they engage in full-time or part-time businesses during their stay in Thailand. Survey and qualitative research, including fieldwork, was conducted in Chiang Mai province in 2018 and 2019. Attention is focused on Chinese individuals who have combined migration objectives with business and education, including students pursuing their studies and part-time work, to seek opportunities to improve and change their lifestyle. It is contended that the transient mobility of the recent Chinese arrivals has not prevented them from displaying a cultivated entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of “entrepreneurial subjectivity.” On the one hand, their transnational entrepreneurial practices to search for prosperity and a better quality of life, and to gain modern knowledge and individual freedom, reflect the attributes of a self-governing and self-enterprising power. On the other hand, they form part of the outflow of Chinese who move overseas to contribute to China’s drive to increase its integration with the global economy.

Recommended Citation

Siriphon, Aranya and Li, Jiangyu (2023) "The Pursuit of Entrepreneurial Subjectivity: A Case Study of New Chinese Immigrants to Thailand," Malaysian Journal of Chinese Studies: Vol. 12: No. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://mjcs.newera.edu.my/journal/vol12/iss1/4