From Passion to Withdrawal: A Nine-Year Longitudinal Study on Political Disengagement among Hong Kong Migrants in London

This paper presents findings from a nine-year longitudinal documentary project that employs a community-engaged approach to study the Hong Kong diasporic community in London. From 2017 onwards, this research follows one age cohort of migrants who relocated to the United Kingdom in the aftermath of the 2014 Umbrella Revolution. Every two years, on the same date, the group gathers for dinner, during which unscripted conversations are recorded. This format enables participants to interact with one another as they recall past events and imagine possible futures.

The study reveals a gradual decline in political engagement. Participants who initially arrived with strong attachments to activism for Hong Kong democracy and independence became less emotionally invested in past struggles as time passed. With growing social responsibilities such as family life and careers, they expressed greater caution and a sense of having “more to lose.” What began as a collective passion gradually transformed into an orientation toward personal stability and local integration.

By tracing how migrants remember social movements, question their value (“was it worth it?”), and anticipate future possibilities, this study highlights how transnational activism can be affected by burnout, shifting life stages, and the reconfiguration of identity in the diaspora. The long-term, dialogical format—grounded in shared meals and open conversation—demonstrates how community-engaged methodologies can offer nuanced insights into lived experiences of migrants. This project further contributes to debates in Migrant Transnationalism by showing how diasporic political commitments are reshaped when activism travels across borders and over time.