The Integration of New Generation Chinese: the case of Italy

This thesis examined the integration of new generation Chinese in Italy, stemming from the conviction that descendants of migrants should be equally considered in the ideation of effective and long-term integration policies. In particular, the present thesis attempted to provide concrete answers to three main research questions. What differences can be tracked down by comparing Chinese descendants’ integration trends with those of the previous generations? How robust is the integration of new generation Chinese in Italy across the various dimensions? What are the main factors responsible for a regress in the integration of Chinese descendants in Italy and which measures should be deployed to solve such challenges? The research comprises four chapters. The first chapter provided the theoretical framework on which the whole research was structured. It defined the key concepts of “integration” and “new generation” from a terminological perspective, to clarify the extent to which both notions are employed in the study. The second chapter paired the theoretical foundation of the research with an overview of the historical and contextual background of the Chinese diaspora in Italy. While the first two chapters served as a solid foundation for the study, the third chapter leveraged this knowledge presenting a primary assessment of the integration of the Chinese diaspora in Italy. Finally, the fourth chapter presented an empirical research conducted among 30 Chinese descendants in Italy, carried out through semi-structured interviews held online between December 2024 and January 2025. The evidence presented by the research indicated a significant improvement when comparing the integration of respondents to that of first generation Chinese across almost every dimension. Such trend change was in some cases particularly remarkable, and the speed at which the cross-generational advancement of integration took place was equally promising. Overall, respondents' integration proved to be consistent, specifically in the whole structural dimension and in regard to the matter of citizenship. An equal level of integration was not reflected in respondents’ political engagement and across the identity and cultural dimensions. Nevertheless, such shortcomings should be respectively attributed to a national trend among Italian youth of disinterest in the political debate, and to the objective difficulty of constantly mediating between two coexisting halves – the Italian and the Chinese – which is an inherent and inevitable component of the post migration experience lived by the respondents. Lastly, the research showed how the main gaps in the integration of Chinese descendants in Italy were linked with the pervasiveness and recurrence of prejudices, stereotypes, discriminations, and racism coming from the recipient society identified in respondents’ social dimension of integration. To present concrete answers to similar barriers, the thesis suggested some policy recommendations and best practices to strengthen the capacity of the Italian state in countering such misconducts. In conclusion, the research illustrated the case of Portugal, a country which has been able to counter racism and discrimination effectively, and therefore a virtuous example the Italian state could emulate.