WeChat, ethnic grouping and class belonging. The formation of citizen identity among Chinese living in Paris

International audienceThis chapter analyses the process of forming a citizen identity and citizenship practices (participation in demonstrations and voting practices) among Chinese now living in the Paris region. Drawing on online and offline ethnographic research undertaken between 2015 and 2021, the discussion reflects on the complexity of identity building and the multi-dimensional expression of citizenship among migrants in the digital age, with a close examination of WeChat group chats. The chapter views WeChat as a tool of ethnic grouping and a performative place of social class and examines the role that WeChat plays in claiming citizenship, and the citizenship politics of class-based exclusion and discrimination among the Chinese diaspora in Paris. The chapter further argues that WeChat plays a role in shaping discourses about citizenship as deployed on local, national and transnational levels among Chinese people living in France