Chinese Immigrants and Underground Lotteries in South Africa
Negotiating Spaces at the Cusp of a Racial-Capitalist Order
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4603496 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stephen Louw (0000-0002-8039-9386, University of the Witwatersrand, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 49-68 |
| Publication date | 2019-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Southern African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-7070 • E-ISSN: 1465-3893 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03057070.2019.1552427 |
| OpenAlex | W2910869391 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
This article reviews the history of an illegal Chinese-run numbers game or lottery in South Africa. Structurally very similar to games played by Chinese immigrants in the USA, fahfee operations (or banks) provided an illicit accumulation strategy, which allowed entrepreneurial Chinese immigrants to survive at the margins of a discriminatory racial–capitalist order, and to use these enterprises as a platform to enter the mainstream white economy. Fahfee was a tactic through which the subordinate were able to contest and negotiate the repressive strategies of the socio-political elite. The discussion of fahfee is set against the background of successive waves of Chinese immigration to South Africa, from the slaves and convict labour imported by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century to more recent immigration from Taiwan and the Peoples Republic of China. The article draws on a wide variety of historical material, the literature on both gambling and Chinese migration, and interviews with contemporary fahfee bankers
China · CONTEST · Convict · Development economics · Economics · Economy · Elite · Immigration · Mainstream · Negotiation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Gambling Behavior and Treatments · Law
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,71 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |