London’s Chinatown: from a Place to a Brand
London’s Chinatown: from a Place to a Brand

Summary/Abstract: Chinatown, London. Located in the City of Westminster around Gerrard Street, it is home to various Asian populations from China and Southeast Asia and a symbol of cultural diversity that characterises so-called multiculturalist policies across the Channel. With the physical and socio-economic attributes of an ethnic enclave,this district continues to be marketed and labelled by various actors –political, economic, local and non-profit – who are aware of its economic potential. Its Chinese or Asian identity has become a commodity in its own right through the branding policies put in place by these actors. This approach to the construction of Asian ethnic enclaves aims to study the relations between a district, i.e. Chinatown,and its city and to understand the identity and image formed by the place in question. It is thus hypothesised that this notion of branding,resulting from marketing research, is of fundamental relevance for the study of the process of establishing Asian enclaves in major Western cities, in this case London. Thus, this article will make it possible to approach the London Chinatown as a material manifestation of a Western brand.

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