This paper explores how entrepreneurship can serve as a pathway to integration for ethnic minorities, focusing on the lived experiences of Pakistani entrepreneurs in Hong Kong. Migration often compels individuals to find sustainable means of livelihood, and for many Pakistani migrants, establishing a business becomes both a necessity and an opportunity. Based on 30 in-depth qualitative interviews with Pakistani entrepreneurs, this study examines how entrepreneurial activities influence various dimensions of integration within the host society. The findings reveal that entrepreneurship facilitates more than just economic survival. Participants demonstrated a notable degree of economic integration, successfully sustaining their livelihoods through small businesses. More strikingly, many also achieved social integration, expressing positive interactions with locals and visitors, building cross-cultural relationships, and engaging in community life. In addition, several entrepreneurs actively sought cultural integration, using their businesses as platforms to share Pakistani culture through volunteering, cultural events, and intercultural activities. These entrepreneurial experiences fostered a strong sense of belonging, with many participants identifying Hong Kong as their long-term home. The study challenges deficit-based narratives that often depict ethnic minorities as isolated or marginalised, and instead highlights the agency, resilience, and contributions of Pakistani entrepreneurs in shaping a more inclusive society. The paper concludes by discussing policy implications to better support ethnic minority entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on the role of inclusive policies in facilitating both economic participation and broader social integration.

Authors:
Pui Kwan Man, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Mikayla Pui Kwan Man is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Hong Kong Shue Yan University. Her research interests include ethnic minorities and entrepreneurship, migration, and sociology of deviance.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pui-kwan-mikayla-man-14677398/

Additional website of interest
https://sociology.hksyu.edu/en/Staff/detail/Dr.%20MAN%2C%20Pui-Kwan%20Mikayla

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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