Struggling with inequality and the uncertain reterritorialization of migrants: A case study of Guangzhou

The citizenization of migrants has become a challenging practical issue and a significant research topic within the realm of social justice. Nowadays, with a large number of studies concerning the unjust lives of migrants, few researches probe their struggle with inequality. This struggling is reflected in space, in the reterritorialization of the migrants. Reterritorialization involves the reconstruction of the meaning and function of a territory. Deterritorialization meaning the weakening of territoriality. This paper concentrates on the reterritorialization of migrants, and attempts to fill the research gap through an in-depth case study of a representative urban village located in Guangzhou. The data for this study were collected through three rounds of questionnaire surveys conducted with migrants in 2016, 2020, and 2023. Government statistics and semi-structured interviews with local government officials and original villagers are also used in the research. It has been found the initial territorialization of KL Village was driven by the city’s development and the demand for industries and migrant labor. Subsequently, the concentration of migrants led to the transformation of the village into an urban village that caters to professional markets. The distinctive characteristics of the industry and the lifestyles of migrants resulted in the departure of local villagers, making migrants the sole users of the village and facilitating its reterritorialization. Migrants reterritorialized various systems within the village, including the commercial system, public service system, and transportation system. However, the reterritorialization remains uncertain. The urban villages may undergo deterritorialization when industries decline or when significant events with negative societal impacts occur. This paper further emphasizes the importance of governments recognizing the circumstances faced by migrants and ensuring the provision of stable spaces for them. In general, this paper makes an empirical contribution by offering a fresh perspective to the study of migrants and territorialization in China.