ABSTRACT
This chapter speculates on the nature of present-day Chinese transnationalism. It elaborates on the suggestion made in the Introduction that assertions of cultural affinity are more important as an object of study than cultural affinity itself in explaining economic development (see above), and attempts to show that what is happening in China today is not unique, and fits into more general patterns of social change found all over the world. Looking from this vantage point, makes it easier to conceive of cultural idioms as belonging to a particular stage in the global spread of capitalism. The argument, even though it represents the personal vision of the present author, is intended to serve as another context for the chapters of the book.
