ABSTRACT
Globalization as a force changes the opportunities of all political, social, and economic actors. It enables the agency of local people—local practices change, and traditions shift their significance and allow local people to seek their fortune in the global world. Chinatown’s role as a global institution is thus determined by the ways in which ethnic Chinese make their living and pursue other opportunities within the conditions for agency, rights, and human interaction that have been created by global markets and advanced technology.
