Ethnicity Negotiation of Yi Migrants in Shenzhen: Through the Lens of Family Life.

Taking the family life of Yi migrant workers in Shenzhen as a case study, this article examines the multilayered roles of ethnicity in the everyday practices of marginalised groups in a global city. Following a theoretical approach that sees ethnicity as a process, it shows how Yi migrants negotiate their ethnicity in daily practices and the varied negotiation strategies at individual levels. For young Yi girls, ethnicity means the tradition of child betrothal in their home villages, imposing upon them economic and emotional burdens. For Yi middleclass workers who have settled in the city and established cross-ethnic families, ethnicity implies conflicts and frustration within the household. On the other hand, individuals consciously negotiate their ethnic positions--Yi girls' choice of running away from marriage, middle-class workers' use of interethnic marriage as social capital, and their compromise in dealing with domestic friction all manifest their agency. Moving beyond the tendency to reify the Yi community's collective identity, this article helps us comprehend the shifting conception of ethnicity in the context of China's internal migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]