A Study of the Chinese Jamaican Exodus.

Abstract

Beginning in the early 1970s, the Chinese population of Jamaica began to leave the island in great numbers. In 1970, the Chinese Jamaican community numbered 11,781. By 1980, that figure had dropped to 5,320. The Chinese Jamaican exodus is intimately tied to the social and political atmosphere of Jamaica in the sixties and seventies. It is therefore necessary to understand the effect events and ideologies of the time had on Chinese Jamaicans. A Study of the Chinese Jamaican Exodus focuses on the following areas. First, the importance of the Hakka identity to Chinese Jamaicans and their continuing affiliation with the Hakka mentality of being a "Guest People." Second, the establishment of a Chinese merchant class in Jamaica. Third, the community life, activities and institutions important to the Chinese in Jamaica. Finally, the social, political, and economic circumstances which caused thousands of Chinese Jamaicans to emigrate during the 1970s.