Cultural Heritage Transmission and Cultural Identity Negotiation: The Role of Chinese Bookstores in Paris

Cultural Heritage Transmission and Cultural Identity Negotiation: The Role of Chinese Bookstores in Paris ABSTRACT With the increasing mobility of global populations, the study of cultural identity has garnered growing academic attention. As an important part of culture, cultural heritage plays a crucial role in shaping individual and collective identities. While existing scholarship has extensively explored both the identity construction of migrants and the transmission of cultural heritage abroad, it often remains limited in effectively integrating these two dimensions. Moreover, compared to traditional "sites of memory" such as museums and archives, bookstores have received relatively little attention as spaces for cultural heritage transmission. To fill this gap, this study examines two Chinese bookstores in Paris as case studies to explore how they function as emerging spaces for the transmission of Chinese cultural heritage and how they influence the cultural identity of overseas Chinese communities. The research is based on semi-structured interviews, supplemented by participant observation and textual analysis, to investigate how these bookstores facilitate the transmission of cultural heritage within urban space and act as "third spaces" for negotiating cultural identity among the Chinese diaspora. The findings reveal that the bookstores transmit Chinese Cultural Heritage through two dimensions: First, the material aspect, such as books, traditional products, and the spatial environment, embodies cultural heritage knowledge and elements; Second, the cultural activities organized by the bookstores can also reflect the cultural heritage transmission function by providing a public social space where participants can exchange ideas and negotiate specific cultural heritage topics, and these activities themselves constitute a process of reinterpreting and reconstructing cultural heritage, showing a trend of the everyday practice of cultural heritage. As for its influence on cultural identity, the social space provided by the bookshops can facilitate the sense of belonging and emotional connection among participants, thereby fostering their cultural identity. Yet, the bookstores can not completely resolve individuals' identity confusion and dilemma due to the complex and multidimensional nature of identity. Instead, they serve as a "buffer zone" for expression and reflection, positively influencing participants' emotional experience and sense of belonging. This study argues that, despite facing certain long-term challenges, as non-traditional heritage spaces, bookstores hold significant potential for the dynamic transmission of cultural heritage and for supporting hybrid identity negotiation. Through public activities, they also contribute positively to the sense of belonging and cultural identity formation within diasporic communities.