Although the ethnic Chinese have been present in the Americas in significant numbers since the late nineteenth century, the majority are still perceived as foreigners today, to varying degrees in each specific country. Diásporas chinas a las Américas thus aims to contribute ‘to improve the asymmetrical relations between mainland China and the western hemisphere’ partly by ‘dispelling erroneous interpretations about Chinese migration, which often generates prejudiced behaviour’ (p. 23, reviewer's translation, here and passim), such as exotic representations of Chinese culture in Hollywood. Eugenio Chang-Rodríguez aims to do so by tracing the history of transpacific relations and Chinese migrations to the Americas, and illuminating ‘authentic Chinese thought’ (p. 25) and Chinese philosophy, by explaining ‘how Confucianism – in symbiosis with Taoism and Buddhism – is the basic philosophy of Chinese culture’ (p. 26).

The extensive academic literature on the Chinese diaspora has often focused on southeast and east Asia, followed by the United States of America, Canada and Europe. In recent years, alongside China's increased investment and presence in Latin America and the Caribbean, outstanding academic books and articles in English by Jason Chang (Chino: Anti-Chinese Racism in Mexico, 1880–1940, University of Illinois Press, 2017, reviewed above), Monica DeHart, Grace Delgado, Fredy Gonzalez, Adrian Hearn, Kathleen López and Elliott Young – to name but a few – have emerged to argue for the profound relevance of historical and contemporary Chinese migrations and displacements to the Americas. Diásporas chinas a las Américas promises to be part of this emerging literature. This expanding body of work is not only important for understanding transnational mobilities and the complexity of cultural identities and its relationship to nationalisms and racial discrimination. The authors listed above also compellingly argue that the history of racism, exclusion and exploitation of ethnic Chinese persons in the Americas is simultaneously a history of the emergence of state border control and immigration regulations as we know them today. Furthermore, they show how the complex and shared history of demand for cheap Chinese labour and their social and legal exclusion from countries in the region partially explains the concentration of ethnic Chinese persons in small independent businesses such as supermarkets and restaurants. Their work contributes to current understanding of the political, economic, social and cultural dimensions at play in each historical period, and the implications for ethnic Chinese and local residents in the Americas.

In contrast to the above-mentioned literature, this book is framed in the Introduction and the first three chapters as a historical, philosophical and personal narrative. It takes a broad overview of Chinese diasporas in the Americas by examining ethnic Chinese presence in Mexico (Chapter 4), the United States (Chapter 5), Canada (Chapter 6), the Caribbean and the Guianas (Chapter 7), Cuba (Chapter 8), Peru (Chapter 9), Panama (Chapter 10) and Costa Rica (Chapter 11). The methods employed include analysis of historical manuscripts, interviews, magazines, books, movies, videos and other material and notes accumulated during the author's years of research. These notes include conversations with Chinese elders, and followers and practitioners of the teachings of Confucius, Lao Tse and Buddha. A tusán himself (Chinese descendant born in Peru), the author briefly recounts growing up in Lima and trips to Chinese shops, restaurants, the opera and Chinatown with his father (Introduction). This personal narrative continues in Chapter 2 with a detailed description of trips to China with his wife in the 1980s, together with an outline of academics and colleagues – from the disciplines of history, literature, philosophy and linguistics – who have significantly influenced his life's work.

The resulting monograph is thus an eclectic one aimed at a broad general audience, probably due to the author's own expertise in linguistics and literature. It reads as part academic biography, part travel-guide, part philosophical musings and part encyclopaedia. Each country-specific chapter provides a brief overview of the history of Chinese migration in various periods, alongside working and living conditions and migration regulations; Chinese diplomatic relations and international agreements with that nation-state; Chinatowns or areas of Chinese residence; Chinese associations; the presence or absence of inter-marriage with local non-Chinese; and important local ethnic Chinese persons who have excelled in areas such as the arts, politics or academia. The chapters on the Chinese presence in the Americas are uneven, with significant attention given to countries like Mexico, the United States and Peru, as compared to the others. Argentina, Chile and Venezuela are notably missing despite the existence of some contemporary literature on Chinese migration to these countries. Fascinating historical anecdotes are peppered throughout these chapters, such as the author's claim that the Mexican piñata is a Chinese tradition brought to Mexico via the Spanish, who were influenced by Italy, which adopted it after Marco Polo's travels to China (p. 99). However, for those keen to verify or learn more about the specific phenomenon, references for this intriguing anecdote are lacking. Another little-known example is the participation of ethnic Chinese in the American Civil War (p. 117). These demonstrate the ways that the Chinese diaspora have significantly contributed to the cultural heterogeneity of the Americas.

The book concludes with a few main arguments. The first is that the practice of Confucianism, defined by the author as ‘following tradition, doing justice, respecting hierarchy, diligence, virtue, tolerance, kindness, benevolence, love for others and filial piety’ (p. 214), has been central to the ‘sociocultural cohesiveness of the [Chinese] migrants to the Americas and their capacity to adapt to new lands, whose populations have often discriminated against them’ (p. 214). The second is that China's powerful economic place in the world today would not have been possible without the contributions of the millions of Chinese residents in the New World (p. 217).

A short and readable volume, Diásporas chinas a las Américas provides a broad introduction to the topic. Given the author's repeated emphasis on interviews and conversations with Chinese elders and residents in the region, it is unfortunate that there are no quotes or analysis of this data. This is especially necessary to sustain and link the book's claims about Confucianism, Chinese identity and migrants’ processes of adaptation. More attention should have been given to overgeneralisations about the Chinese diaspora, which is extremely diverse, alongside problematic assertions of cultural authenticity. Given the scarcity of research published in Spanish on this topic, this publication will hopefully inspire others to carry out their own studies and contribute to deconstructing myths and racial stereotypes of the Chinese as eternal foreigners on the continent.