On Tuesday, April 28th, the book Chineseness in Chile: Changing Representations in the 21st Centurywas launched. The work, written by ICLAC Millennium Nucleus researchers María Montt Strabucchi, Carol Chan and María Elvira Ríos, proposes a critical analysis of how the perception of China has shaped contemporary Chilean identity. The event was organized by the Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE), the publisher in charge of distributing the text, in collaboration with the Millennium Nucleus on the Impacts of China in Latin America and the Caribbean (ICLAC) and the Fondecyt Project "Lo Chileno Asiático."
The publication proposes a critical reassessment of how the perception of China as an "other" has functioned as a cultural and political strategy for positioning Chile within the Western imaginary. Through an analysis of multiple voices and images, the scholars trace the symbolic evolution of the role China plays in definitions of gender, class, and race within Chilean society. The work ultimately seeks to move beyond a vision of "Chineseness" as a static concept and propose a post-migrant framework that allows for an understanding of local identities beyond the traditional dichotomies between East and West.
During the event, moderated by journalist Belén del Castillo, the authors shared details about the collaborative methodology behind the volume. They highlighted that, unlike other academic compilations, this book was written entirely as a joint text rather than in separate chapters — a process that took shape during the pandemic period. The conversation covered topics ranging from the historical stereotypes that have marked perceptions of the "Oriental" to contemporary manifestations of popular culture, such as memes, which are also an object of study in the work.
Chineseness in Chile: Changing Representations in the 21st Century is now available for purchase through the Fondo de Cultura Económica bookstore network and on its official website.