IS IT LONELY TO BE A STRANGER AWAY FROM HOME? RURAL MIGRANTS' IDENTITY FROM A SCALE-EFFECTS PERSPECTIVE

ZENG Yong-ming; Lin Dan

doi:10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.04.007

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HUMAN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4) : 62-70. DOI: 10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.04.007

SPECIAL COLUMN ON POPULATION MOBILITY AND URBAN-RURAL DEVELOPMENT

IS IT LONELY TO BE A STRANGER AWAY FROM HOME? RURAL MIGRANTS' IDENTITY FROM A SCALE-EFFECTS PERSPECTIVE

ZENG Yong-ming, Lin Dan

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Abstract

Promoting the urban citizenship and social integration of rural migrants is a primary task of new urbanization. Although institutional barriers to rural migrants' entry into urban areas have been gradually lowered, identity barriers resulting from the long-standing urban–rural divide remain. However, little attention has been paid to how the spatial imbalance of population mobility affects rural migrants' identity. Against the background of county-centered urbanization, this paper examines the impact of the size distribution of county-level floating populations on rural migrants' identity and reveals its heterogeneity from the dual spatial perspectives of outflow and inflow areas. The results show that: 1) rural migrants' identity has a negative scale effect: in counties with a higher proportion of floating population, their sense of identity is weaker and their perception of being "strangers away from home" is stronger. 2) This negative scale effect operates through two channels: perceived discrimination and willingness to integrate locally. 3) Cultural and economic gaps between origin and destination areas further intensify the negative impact of population mobility on identity. 4) In promoting county-centered urbanization, attention should be paid to the paradox of "mobility freedom and integration conflict." It is necessary to increase the supply of social integration policies, reduce social exclusion, strengthen migrants' sense of identity, transform "strangers away from home" into "locals at home," and promote the shift from temporary mobility to rooted integration.

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urban-rural integration / scale effect / rural migrants / identity

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ZENG Yong-ming, Lin Dan. IS IT LONELY TO BE A STRANGER AWAY FROM HOME? RURAL MIGRANTS' IDENTITY FROM A SCALE-EFFECTS PERSPECTIVE[J]. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. 2026, 41(4): 62-70 https://doi.org/10.13959/j.issn.1003-2398.2026.04.007

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