Helping OutThe growing body of literature on ethnic businesses has emphasized the importance of small family-based businesses as a key form of immigrant adaptation. Although there have been numerous references to the importance of "family labor" as a key ethnic resource, few studies have examined the work roles and family dynamics entailed in various kinds of ethnic businesses. Helping Out addresses the centrality of children's labor participation in such family enterprises. Discussing the case of Chinese families running take-out food shops in Britain, Miri Song examines the ways in which children contribute their labor and the context in which children come to understand and believe in "helping out" as part of a "family work contract." Song explores the implications of these children's labor participation for family relationships, cultural identity, and the future of the Chinese community in Britain. While doing so, she argues that the practical importance and the broader meanings of children's work must be understood in the context of immigrant families' experiences of migration and ethnic minority status in Western, white-majority societies. |
Contents
| 1 | |
2 Chinese Migration and the Establishment ofTakeaways in Britain | 23 |
3 The Shop Runs Our Lives | 47 |
4 Helping Out | 73 |
5 Upholding and Negotiating theFamily Work Contract | 100 |
6 Siblings Labor Commitments andFamily Reputations | 137 |
7 Looking to the Future | 174 |
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Common terms and phrases
According Allat American Annie argued Asian Asian Americans BBCs Boissevain Bonacich British brother Cantonese chil child children's labor participation Chinese catering Chinese children Chinese in Britain Chinese take-aways Chinese young Colin counter cultural identities David Desh Pardesh Despite difficult dren economic employees employment English English language ents ethnic businesses ethnic minority experiences fact Falmer families running take-aways family business family labor family livelihoods family members family work contracts father feel Foon full-time Hakka Hong Kong immigrant instance integral children interview Jacqui Korean labor commitments leaving home lives London Margaret O'Brien migration mother negotiated nese nesses norm Pue-lai racial racism relationships rely reputations respondents Richard Richard Jenkins Robin Ward roles Routledge sense shops siblings sister small business social stressed take-away businesses take-aways in Britain tended tion twenty-five families University Press waged Western women Wong workers