The Migration of Experts and Savoir-faire

This article focuses on the practice of French cuisine in Shanghai and questions the permanence of this professional niche. It combines an anthropological approach to culinary techniques with a sociological approach to workforce migration, tracing the ways in which the discourse and practices of che...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChina perspectives no. 4; pp. 49 - 58
Main Authors Théry, Aël, Le Bail, Hélène
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hong Kong Centre d'étude français sur la Chine contemporaine 01.10.2017
CEFC
Subjects
Anthropology
Chefs
Consumption
Cooking
Cultural heritage
Culture
Economic reform
Employment
Experts
Food
Gender
Globalization
Hierarchies
Immigration policy
Intercultural sensitivity
Legitimacy
Migrant workers
Migrants
Migration
Postcolonialism
Professionals
Recruitment
Restaurants
Sociology
Transformation
Work ethic
Workforce
China
Shanghai China
migration
French cuisine
knowledge transfer
training
China
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Summary:This article focuses on the practice of French cuisine in Shanghai and questions the permanence of this professional niche. It combines an anthropological approach to culinary techniques with a sociological approach to workforce migration, tracing the ways in which the discourse and practices of chefs and maîtres d’hôtel working in French cuisine’s restaurants employ forms of ethnocultural and technical legitimacy. The case of Shanghai, a city undergoing rapid transformation in its modes of consumption, provides a clear illustration of the shifts that have occurred over the last ten years in the hierarchy of Western migrants and Chinese locals: the symbolic and material privileges offered to the former are beginning to disappear, and professional recognition is increasingly becoming based on savoir-faire and a strong work ethic.
ISSN:2070-3449
1996-4617
DOI:10.4000/chinaperspectives.7482