The geosemiotics of urban transnationalism: a case study of Vietnamese commercial landscapes in Prague

Abstract

This study analyzes the discursive social position of Vietnamese migrants represented by three types of Vietnamese commercial places: a large wholesale complex, Vietnamese-run grocery shops on local streets, and stylish chain restaurants in commercial centers. Guided by the notions of semiotic landscapes and geosemiotics, this study analyzes the semiotic dynamic among the spatial structures, visual images, and human activities in and around the study sites. The analysis demonstrates that the spatial representations of Vietnamese in Prague are associated with the spatial-visual discourses of the globalized city. The walled wholesale complex, situated on the margin of the city, serves to discursively segregate the diasporic community from the mainstream society. Ubiquitous grocery stores on local streets paradoxically signify the inconspicuousness of Vietnamese in Czech society. On the other hand, stylish Vietnamese restaurants in commercial centers add sophisticated cultural tastes and are included in the cosmopolitan dynamic of Prague. This geosemiotic study illustrates how geographical centrality and marginality are intertwined with migrants’ commercial practices, reflecting their multilayered positions in the socioeconomic strata of society. In transnational urban spaces, understanding the discursively associated ethnic markers and their urban locations provides important insights into the inclusive and exclusive dynamics of globalized cities.

Keywords:

• Vietnamese migrants
• commercial landscapes
• spatial practices
• semiotic landscapes
• geosemiotics
• diasporic business

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tae-Sik Kim

Tae-Sik Kim is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University, Malaysia. Kim received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo and Communication Studies from the University of Oklahoma, respectively. Prior to joining Monash, he worked as an Assistant Professor at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. His research interests range from transnational communication to urban communication and visual communication. Email: [email protected]