While previous research has explored the academic adaptation or acculturation processes of Chinese students studying abroad, limited attention has been paid to students' own perspectives and narrations of their experience. To contribute to a more nuanced understanding of this highly mobile group, this study takes a closer look at the students' self-identity narratives. How do they make sense of their foreign adventure? How do they position themselves among their peers and their family members, as well as within the greater transnational context? Based on 29 in-depth, biographical interviews with Chinese students in the United States, the findings show the participants' continuously interpreting and revising their individual, academic, and cultural identities. In the familial context, a recurring narrative of the high-potential only-child could be observed. Many students (and their family members) felt that their unique talents and personalities were not appreciated within the Chinese educational system and thus sought more holistic environments abroad.

Autorentext

About the authorDr. Sarah Köksal is a researcher in American Cultural History and Cultural Anthropology at Ludwig Maximilian University. For her research project on narrative identities of Chinese international students she conducted fieldwork at the University of California Berkeley and was a recipient of the 2021 LMU-UCB Excellent Research in the Humanities Scholarship.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Methods.- Identity.- Chinese education and study abroad.- The Self and the Family.- The Self and the peer group.- The Self and the Country.- Conclusion.