Networks of the Chinese Community in Milan

The aim of this work is to give a theoretical and methodological contribution to the use of networks in migration studies. Strength of ties, multiplicity, density, expressive and instrumental links, cooperative and competitive relations are important concepts to analyse the transformations of the Chinese community in Milan. In the ‘80s the community was dense and cohesive and it was easy for newcomers to improve their economic status, while in the ‘90s the situation has gradually become worse. The first “Chinese area”, Canonica Sarpi, has turned into a service area, bringing as a consequence the concentration of the newcomers in more peripheral areas, such as Monza Padova. In these two areas, there are various levels of integration and different kinds of conflicts with the Italians. Moreover, everyone manipulates his/her network in dissimilar ways in order to reach economic and social integration, and some achieve these goals faster than others also thanks to their network.