Upon reading Zhou Min’s work on Chinese immigrants in the United States, I found the following closing remark intriguing: “The enclave economy is a double-edged sword, however.” Oftentimes, we fail to fully notice the whole picture of a situation, and the ensuing paragraph to this statement further expands upon the greater image. In a sense, it is as though the Chinese immigrants referred to in this passage have come to America- New York, in particular- and find themselves in a paradoxical predicament, a sort of vicious cycle. In order to survive and make enough money for basic necessities, one must work. For these immigrants, jobs are most available in their enclaves; one reason for this is due to the likenesses of shared experiences among residents there. However, on the other hand, because these communities are ethnic and run by immigrants, there is an under representation of American culture and lifestyle, which in turn makes it more difficult for these immigrants to assimilate into American culture.
One of the peculiar qualities of New York (as discussed in last semester’s Honors English Composition course) is that it allows each individual to construct his own version of the city due to its structure. For instance, the city is so densely populated, and there are constantly innumerable events taking place at any given time (hence “the city that never sleeps”). Because of this, one can participate in a certain event that another resident has no idea about, even of its existence. Now, look at the enclaves.
In this manner, one can live in an enclave and exist in a sub-New York community that does not affect the majority of the city as a whole. With this in mind, it is more easily understood how one can be part of an enclave and “miss out” on the full New Yorker experience and lifestyle. However, New York is largely comprised of immigrants; in a sense, immigrants are a supporting pillar of this city. Additionally, are the conditions in these enclaves identical to conditions in an immigrant’s homeland? In light of these considerations, maybe immigrants living in enclaves are not missing out on as much New York life as we had claimed.
