Flexible Citizenship

The rise of China and India has been accompanied by a steady outflow of elite Asian migrants to global centers as investors, scientists, and professionals. These migrants may view their culture, work, and identity as unconnected to a single nation-state. Rather than seeing their identity in terms of national affiliation, they may identify with a specific city of origin as a home, but may still lack a sense of political belonging. A forerunner of these migrants of today may be seen in the émigré who, in the midst of the return of Hong Kong to mainland Chinese rule, accumulated multiple passports. The goal was to maximize opportunities to relocate one's family to a liberal country and at the same time be able to continue to ...