UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES Sociology and Social Policy Changing Macanese Identities in the Post‐Handover Era by Margarida Cheung Vieira Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2016 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES Sociology and Social Policy Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy CHANGING MACANESE IDENTITIES IN THE POST‐HANDOVER ERA Margarida Cheung Vieira On 20 December 1999, Macau closed the chapter of more than four centuries of Portuguese rule and officially became one of the Special Administrative Regions (S.A.R.) of China. During these centuries, a creole culture emerged along with a community of racially mixed individuals, commonly known as the Macanese (Pina Cabral, 2002). While many of them have opted to disaffiliate themselves from the ‘capital of Portugueseness’ (Pina Cabral, 2002:41), for the purpose of conglomerating with and adapting to the major Chinese population in Macau, others remain severely proud of their Macanese identity. By employing a theoretical framework in mixed race studies (Bhabha, 1994; Ali, 2003; Song, 2003), this thesis will explore the Macanese’s identity, language and culture as a consequence of the impact of post‐handover in Macau. The focus will be on how the Macanese, as a racially mixed community, have managed and negotiated their identity, language and culture in this context. The perspectives of positioning will be amplified, since there is an apparent lack of research in Macau. By utilising biographical research in qualitative methodology, this thesis examines the Macanese context due to sinicization from the interviews of three sample groups (Category A, Category B and the Category C). The disparities in ages and experiences are specifically arranged to allow their aspirations and perceptions to be explored and discussed as being mixed in the dominating Chinese society. i Despite the consequence of the handover, my results show that younger Macanese are keen to search for new ways to adapt and to preserve their community and cultures from dissipating. Many have acknowledged the significance to look beyond the traditional norms (as previously adopted by the older Macanese generation) and to acquire a receptive attitude with the major Chinese population in order to endure their sustainability in contemporary Macau. ii Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ i List of figures ............................................................................................................ vii DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP ................................................................................. ix Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... xi Definitions and Abbreviations ................................................................................. xiii Chapter 1: Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Formations of Macau .......................................................................................... 2 1.1.2 A concise historical review: trade and religion ............................................ 3 1.1.3 Food as an identity marker .......................................................................... 4 1.2 The Macanese ........................................................................................................ 5 1.2.1 Marriage and its consequences in the Macanese community .................... 7 1.3 Language changes .................................................................................................. 8 1.4 Intra and inter divisions .......................................................................................... 9 1.5 Identity choice ...................................................................................................... 10 1.6 Methodological design ......................................................................................... 11 1.7 Thesis outline ........................................................................................................ 11 Chapter 2: Social Changes that shape the Macanese in Macau ................................. 13 2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 13 2.2 The colonial administration period ...................................................................... 15 2.3 The post‐colonial era: a Chinese territory under Portuguese administration ..... 17 2.4 The transition period ............................................................................................ 19 2.5 The advent of a new sovereignty ......................................................................... 21 2.6 A summary of the gambling city and its social problems..................................... 22 2.7 The pre 1999 and post‐handover ......................................................................... 23 2.8 The post 1999 period ........................................................................................... 25 Chapter 3: Literature review ..................................................................................... 29 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 29 3.2 The meaning of ‘mixed race’............................................................................. 30 3.2.1 Labelling mixedness ................................................................................... 32 3.2.2 The process of race shifting ....................................................................... 33 i 3.2.3 Mixed race development ........................................................................... 34 3.3 The structuring of class with race (non‐biological) .......................................... 35 3.4 A peculiar kind of colonial and post‐colonialism .............................................. 36 3.5 Formation of the Creole Community ................................................................ 37 3.6 Deconstructing the Macanese position ............................................................ 39 3.7 The post‐handover choice ................................................................................ 40 3.7.1 Localisation ................................................................................................. 40 3.7.2 Restructuring the civil service .................................................................... 41 3.7.3 Adaptation to a new government .............................................................. 42 3.8 A divided society ............................................................................................... 43 3.9 The structuring of the mixed‐race identity ....................................................... 44 3.10 Negotiating identities for adaptation ............................................................... 46 3.10.1 Acquisition of a new identity ................................................................... 49 3.11 The re‐appropriation of the Portuguese protagonist ....................................... 51 3.11.1 Language: a form of identity .................................................................... 54 3.11.2 On speaking Cantonese ............................................................................ 54 3.11.3 Language: an ethnic passing tool ............................................................. 56 3.11.4 The role of the colonial languages ........................................................... 57 3.11.5 The penchant for the national lingua ....................................................... 58 3.12 Religion as performance and cultural practice ................................................. 60 3.12.1 Employing cuisine to sustain the Macanese heritage .............................. 62 3.13 Enhancing a shared identity with food ............................................................. 63 3.14 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 64 Chapter 4: Methodology .......................................................................................... 67 4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 67 4.2 Methodologies .................................................................................................. 68 4.3 Researching mixedness ..................................................................................... 69 4.4 Research methods ............................................................................................ 70 4.5 Interview locations ........................................................................................... 73 4.6 Sampling frame ................................................................................................. 74 4.7 The researcher’s role and reflexivity ................................................................ 76 4.8 A reflection on my insider’s role ....................................................................... 78 4.9 Snowballing effect ............................................................................................ 79 4.10 Hindrance of an insider ....................................................................................