School smarts but you don’t know that game? WHAT???

TCKs cultural rights tend to be respected within the culturally diverse educational area of their lives. They generally get to choose what language they want to study in and what kind of school suits their needs the best (local, international, boarding…). There are many disadvantages to moving from one school to the next every couple months (integration, making and losing friends, adapting to standards).[i] However it doesn’t seem to have such a negative impact on a majority of TCKs as they tend to perform well. A study conducted by sociologists/ anthropologists: Drs. John Useem and Ruth Hill Useem, Dr. Ann Baker Cottrell and Dr. Kathleen A. Finn Jordan, has found that 81% of TCKs graduate get at a minimum a bachelor’s degree compared to 21% of Americans .[ii]

On the flip side, studies also show that many global nomads experience a prolonged adolescence. While not being “callow youths”, TCKs often feel out-of-synch with their peers whether at home or abroad. This can be largely attributed to the fact “They are extremely complex people who are weaving together their memories in a rapidly changing present for an uncertain future.”[iii]

There is still room to study what might be done to facilitate TCKs integration and the expression of their differences.

[i] Pollock D. C. and Van Reken R. Third Culture Kids. The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds (Yarmouth Maine, Intercultural Press 1999), 215-236.

[ii] “International School Services – Services – Articles, News Resources – Third Culture Kids.” 26 Nov. 2007 <http://www.iss.edu/pages/kids.html>

[iii] Ibid. <http://www.iss.edu/pages/kids.html>

Women are doing it for themselves

As research proves, there are slight differences between genders concerning the acceptance of third culture life. Cottrell & Useem report that each gender sees their life differently according to the stage they are at in life. For example, for women the experience tends to be felt in this way:

“Women reveal a greater concern with interpersonal relations; they are far more likely to have experienced difficulty leaving childhood friends and re-entering the U.S. Yet, as adults they are more likely to believe that TCK experiences enhance their social relations and community involvement.” [i]

 

In comparison, the researchers report that TCK men are inclined to be satisfied with their lives. They believe this may be linked to “worry(ing) less about interpersonal relations” and their self-esteem being mainly tied to their external achievements rather than relationships. [ii]

 

In light of this difference, a good resource for women abroad is http://expatwomen.com/. This website is similar to the other websites that cater to TCKs. They cover many topics and incite interaction between participants.

http://expatwomen.com/[iii] is a good example of what the internet offers nowadays for TCK or their families to cope with the more alienating parts of their lifestyle. Furthermore, the interactive side of the website is about sharing expertise. Such an exercise would not have been as accessible only a few years ago. It is a good example of how gender specific situations in third culture can be facilitated thanks to private and public civil society. [iv]

 

[i] Cottrell AB, Useem RH (1994). “ATCKs have problems relating to own ethnic groups”. International Schools Services, 8(4).

[ii] Ibid. [i]

[iii] expatwomen.com. “Expat Women – Helping Women Living Overseas.” 26 Nov. 2007 <http://www.expatwomen.com/travelers.php>

[iv] Chan-Tibergien, J. (2006) “Cultural diversity as resistance to neo-liberal globalization: The emergence of a global movement and convention” in Review of Education, Vol. 52: 94.

From privilege to sensitivity

Every day going to school she would see poor indigenous mothers with their two, three, four or so kids of two, three, four years old. They were on every street corner begging you to buy chewing gum and cigarettes. Their faces were pollution black and their clothes shabby.

Then at school all the pretty girls would brag about going to Miami next vacation. What would be trendy? What would they buy this time? Do you like what I’m wearing?

Sacha just couldn’t wrap her head around it or in fluff for that matter. Do you not see them?

By Laura Kneale

~

Third culture kids are mostly from well-to-do backgrounds. It is no secret they often lead lives of privilege, especially in poorer countries. But that doesn’t necessarily make them insensitive to the human condition. If anything for a TCK coming from a country where inequalities aren’t as drastic, moving to a third world country can be quite an eye-opener. Many ATCKs develop professions that will permit them to go abroad and offer some assistance or aid. [i]

Furthermore, in regards to cultural diversity, TCKs are forerunners to understanding the dilemmas immigrants, refugees and other international migrants can experience. The TCK may not have dealt with economic strains while growing up but they incarnate the feeling of standing out that can often be the most difficult part underlying immigration. In this sense whether TCK or international adoptee, they are all cross-cultural kids. [ii]

In the face of conflicting feelings about international policy of a TCKs passport country as Pollock has reported having seen in the past,[iii] it is in the TCKs best interest to be an active citizen in order to gain more say in international issues. A study on the fields of study of many TCKs at university level reports that many study international relations. [iv]

http://jvwisdom.com/index.php/news/251/70/d,articles.tpl.html

Not all TCKs are necessarily sensitive to these issues. Yet if awareness is usually the first step in developing citizenship, then TCKs have good baggage for it.

 

[i] Cottrell AB, Useem RH (1994). “ATCKs have problems relating to own ethnic groups”. International Schools Services, 8(4).

[ii] Britten, Samuel (November 30, 1998) “TCK World: A Comparison of Different “Versions” Of TCKs” Third Culture Kid World. Retrieved December 3, 2006

[iii] Pollock D. C. and Van Reken R. Third Culture Kids. The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds (Yarmouth Maine, Intercultural Press 1999), 80-87.

[iv] Cottrell AB, Useem RH (1994). “ATCKs have problems relating to own ethnic groups”. International Schools Services, 8(4).

[v] “Baggage is Beautiful – | Joint Venture Articles by Robin J. Elliot.” 26 Nov. 2007 <http://jvwisdom.com/index.php/news/251/70/d,articles.tpl.html>

 

All the words in the world

Con toda palabra, Lhasa de Sela video [i]

To read Lhasa’s lyrics in some of her different “identities”, go to blog post: “Lyrics: “Con toda palabra””

 

If Mexican-American Montreal-based songstress Lhasa de Sela isn’t representing cultural diversity as a way of fostering creativity and dialogue among cultures [ii], then what is?

 

The girl who grew up in a school bus converted to home with her family between California and Mexico, is an interesting character to look at in light of this debate. In an interview with Montreal cultural newspaper The Mirror in 1997, Lhasa expressed similar feelings to the TCKs dilemnas:

 

“When I was groping for identity at certain times in my life,” she says, “I would fall into the self-pity of not fitting in anywhere: ‘I’m not one thing and I’m not the other. Oh, woe is me.’ But my family is so mixed up [ethnically] that if you’re going to be tormented about your cultural identity, there’s just too much material there. At a certain point I realized that it would be ridiculous for me to try to pin it down to one thing.”

It could be said that Lhasa has made good use of her diverse background to offer an interesting hybridization of her music. She sings in Spanish, French and English and doesn’t feel like any of the three represent her completely as this quote puts it:

“The album’s in Spanish,” says de Sela, “but that can be misleading to people because I don’t consider myself a Mexican. And I’m sure that any Mexican who meets me would spot me right away as an imposter.”

Hence, her music is powerful in that it is sung in an international language. She has prioritized the emotions humans feel over the allegiance they have to a place or identity definition:

“I’ve realized that the human capacity for suffering is so huge that if you can just scratch someone and an ocean of sadness will come out. You don’t have to be living all these dramatic conflicts to tap into intense emotions. They are there in the smallest thing that you do.” [iii]

[i] “YouTube – CON TODA PALABRA.” 26 Nov. 2007 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGNk_zHy4Mg>

[ii] Chan-Tibergien, J. (2006) “Cultural diversity as resistance to neo-liberal globalization: The emergence of a global movement and convention” in Review of Education, Vol. 52: 94.

[iii] “Lhasa de Sela.” 25 Nov. 2007 <http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/1997/073197/music2.html>

Lyrics: “Con toda palabra”

Con toda Palabra Con toda palabra Con toda sonrisa Con toda mirada Con toda caricia Me acerco al agua Bebiendo tu beso La luz de tu cara La luz de tu cuerpo Es ruego el quererte Es canto de mudo Mirada de ciego Secreto desnudo Me entrego a tus brazos Con miedo y con calma Y un ruego en la boca Y un ruego en el alma Con toda palabra Con toda sonrisa Con toda mirada Con toda caricia Me acerco al fuego Que todo lo quema La luz de tu cara La luz de tu cuerpo Es ruego el quererte Es canto de mudo Mirada de ciego Secreto desnudo Me entrego a tus brazos Con miedo y con calma Y un ruego en la boca Y un ruego en el alma

With all words With all words With all smiles With all looks With all caresses I draw near the water Drinking your kiss The light of your face The light of your body To love you is a prayer The song of the mute The eyes of the blind The naked secret I entrust myself to your arms I’m afraid and I’m calm A prayer in my mouth And a prayer in my soul With all words With all smiles With all looks With all caresses I draw near the fire That burns all of this The light of your face The light of your body To love you is a prayer The song of the mute The eyes of the blind The naked secret I entrust myself to your arms I’m afraid and I’m calm A prayer in my mouth And a prayer in my soul

Avec toute parole Avec toute parole Avec tout sourire Avec tout regard Avec toute caresse Je m’approche de l’eau Buvant ton baiser La lumière de ton visage La lumière de ton corps T’aimer est prière C’est chant de muet Regard d’aveugle Secret dénudé Je me rends à tes bras J’ai peur et je suis calme Une prière dans la bouche Et une prière dans l’âme Avec toute parole Avec toute sourire Avec tout regard Avec toute caresse Je m’approche du feu Qui brûle le tout La lumière de ton visage La lumière de ton corps T’aimer est prière C’est chant de muet Regard d’aveugle Secret dénudé Je me rends à tes bras J’ai peur et je suis calme Une prière dans la bouche Et une prière dans l’âme

Double dimension diaspora

“Like lots of you, I have huge problems communicating with people… the people I find it hardest to communicate with are those close to me, especially my parents. I find that with a complete stranger, I can rattle off my experiences without any thought to their rapidly changing view of me, and without feeling that I have to pick up their jaws off the floor, clean their ears and wave my hand in front of their face, waiting for them to come back. I also don’t have to then make their lives sound interesting to me (who wants to live in the same town for 90 years and the most exciting thing that happened in their life was something that happened to someone they knew…. ten years ago??).”

Kayla Zephyrin, “A westerly wind”, blog post on tckid.com [i]

TCKs are not considered to be a diasporic community although with the development of the related subculture(s), largely thanks to the internet, you could argue otherwise. TCKs would not be a diaspora community traditionally speaking, however some of their idiosyncratic traits as a group lead them to adopt some similar attitudes as members of a diaspora community. As Norma McCaig wrote “TCK children often feel and function like hidden immigrants when they reach home shores.”[ii]

http://www.tckid.com/group/your-english-is-good-tck-comic/ [iii]

This may manifest itself in the form of language, as Kayla said about herself on tckid.com “I say one sentence and it has several different languages in it–some of which I’ve never studied.” Another language example is when someone is using a word in a different idiomatic way then its actual use in a given language. A story Pollock relates to is of a TCK using the word sorry in English with its Kenyan connotation. “Pole, pole sana” in Kenya which translates to “Sorry, very sorry” in English is as much an apology as an expression of sympathy. English-speakers couldn’t understand why the TCK kept apologizing for everything until they realized the way she was using sorry was culturally imbibed with the meaning it has in East African cultures. [iv]

On the other hand, studies such as the one conducted by Cottrell and Useem point out that TCKs tend to relate a lot more to a diversity of people or other TCKs than with people they share the same nationality with. This may mean that TCKs will feel different but not necessarily isolated as they usually have acquired strong social and interpersonal skills thanks to their exposure to many different social situations. [v]

While diaspora kids may suffer of alienation in a new country and their communities maintain cultural tradition such as the Trinidadian carnival to preserve their link with the homeland, third culture kids will suffer of not being like their own and rather break with the homeland to better integrate where they live. But in both cases, they are the first generation to a better intercultural understanding of each other.

[i] “a westerly wind : tckid.” 26 Nov. 2007 <http://www.tckid.com/group/a-westerly-wind/>

[ii] McCaig, Norma (1994). Growing up with a world view – nomad children develop multicultural skills. Foreign Service Journal, pp. 35.

[iii] “Your English is Good TCK Comic : tckid.” 26 Nov. 2007 <http://www.tckid.com/group/your-english-is-good-tck-comic/>

[iv] Pollock D. C. and Van Reken R. Third Culture Kids. The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds (Yarmouth Maine, Intercultural Press 1999), 115-116.

[v] Cottrell AB, Useem RH (1994). “ATCKs have problems relating to own ethnic groups”. International Schools Services, 8(4).

 

The TCK’s world view: dispersed pieces of a puzzle

“Cosmopolitanism is a loaded concept. It amalgamates Greek notions of citizen and Enlightment aspirations for world governance and supra-national citizenship [...]. ‘cosmopolitan groups will be in the forefront of establishing values, institutions and lifestyles which are less directly embedded within nation-state societies’ (Featherstone)” [i]

The TCK is one version of cosmopolitanism that in some cases can come pretty close to bringing together many of the aspects linked to more of a cross-cultural notion of citizenship.

By Laura Kneale

Pink as mediators :

“Global nomads often serve as cultural liaisons and interpreters between U.S. culture and the rest of the world. They are the “prototype citizens of the 21st century,” according to Ted Ward, author of the 1984 book, Living Overseas.

In other words, TCKs have been brought up in the middle of an obvious conflict between a minimum of two cultures. This would explain how they develop tools to accommodate both sides as best possible. Regardless of the fact they sometimes feel they don’t fit in on either side [ii], their middle ground has its advantages.

White as rootless or alienated:

The paradox of being in close contact with multiple cultures is the feeling of standing out. It is commonly felt amongst TCK and can have its consequences. Many a TCK develop ‘a migratory instinct’. This reflects an inner restlessness towards the present. This will put a strain on their relationships, careers, education…[iii]

Cosmopolitanism can contrast this notion with the fact that in Pieterse’s words, that it can constitute a “therapy for parochialism”. So as the TCK tries to juggle with their constant mobility, the cosmopolitan agenda tends to encourage a separation from the center. Pieterse even argues that the ‘emancipatory perspective’ that cosmopolitanism yields is only to the benefit of the world majority. [iv]

Green as citizens with a global dimension in their lives:

The areas of study and work of a majority of TCKs point to the fact that they will seldom put their past behind them in their adult life. This may mean developing a profession that will permit them to go abroad again, or even simply one that facilitates their experience as background knowledge. For example, popular fields amongst TCKs are education, legal and medical as well as many self-employed professionals. Seldom do TCKs work in large corporations or government.[v]

These findings point to the fact that essentially global nomads keep a strong element of risk and independence in their lives reflecting their will to keep it open and exciting.

 

If TCKs are undeniably cultural ‘cosmos’, this labeling earns them advantages and disadvantages alike. The diificulties TCKs endure should be kept in mind as a backdrop to the idea of a cosmopolitan agenda. Questioning location over identity is pertinent one in light of this study of TCKs. It leads one to wonder whether the TCK is first and foremost a cosmopolitan or a TCK.

[i] Matthews, J. (2007) “Eurasian persuasions: Mixed race, performativity and cosmopolitanism” in Journal of Intercultural Studies, Vol. 28(1): 50.

[ii] Pollock D. C. and Van Reken R. Third Culture Kids. The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds (Yarmouth Maine, Intercultural Press 1999), 22.

[iii] Cottrell AB, Useem RH (1994). ATCKs maintain global dimensions throughout their lives. International Schools Services, 8(4).

[iv] Pieterse, J. (2006) “Emancipatory cosmopolitanism: Towards an agenda” in Development and Change, Vol. 37(6): 141-142.

[v] Cottrell AB, Useem RH (1994). ATCKs maintain global dimensions throughout their lives. International Schools Services, 8(4).

Identity through technology

Although the expression “Third culture” was only coined back in the ‘60s by sociologist Ruth Useem, global technologies such as the internet have really helped fortifying the third culture community(ies). This is finely tuned with the UNESCO definition of cultural diversity aspect referring to it as “a root of development”. The web has indeed fostered many exchanges and developments between third culture youth everywhere.

As in Melissa A. Wall’s article on “Social movements and email”[i], the expression of the TCK identity online is confronted to the same challenges as that of grassroots organizations members. We will examine some of these online challenges for TCKs.

- A TCK collective identity thanks to internet?

It is somewhat paradoxal to think of TCK’s as having a collective identity as each person in such a group has a multitude of very different life experiences. However, after reviewing the TCK related literature and particularly focusing on the websites, there are finite boundaries, beliefs, outlooks within the public TCK community. For example, it was surprising to find that there is a clear delimitation between global nomads and immigrants. The main difference can be perceived in terms of socio-economic levels as well as the eventuality of return to the homeland.[ii]

- Online exchanges

The five websites that are geared to promoting exchanges between TCKs offer different methods of communicating.

An online forum where there exists at least 4 TCK groups. Anyone on Facebook can be a member and interact with the other members. Photos, videos, written entries can be shared on this page. The biggest Facebook TCK group: 14,430 members and 1673 photos are shared. [iii]

The Global Nomads Virtual Village has a few announcements and links to more interesting pages but it is not exactly a Web 2.0 village such as Facebook. They organize conferences on a periodic basis favoring face-to-face interaction.[iv]

YouthCompass.org is more of a mentoring network where adults are “caring role models who assist (TCK’s) in navigating life.” This organization also describes a Habitat for Humanity project it exposes youth to.[v]

 

“The mission of Interaction International is to be a catalyst and a resource working cooperatively in the development of programs, services and publications to provide and contribute to an on-going flow of care that meets the needs of Third Culture Kids* (TCKs) and internationally mobile families.” They are the more informative online organization for TCK’s.[vi]

 

This group is the least directly linked to TCK subculture. They take a broader view on their target audience. Hence their leitmotiv, gng is “fostering dialogue and understanding among the world’s youth”. This organization is using interactive technologies such as videoconferencing and the internet to bring young people together face-to-face. They supersede “cultural and national boundaries to discuss their differences & similarities, and the world issues that affect them.”[vii]

 

- Commitment & trust on the longer term

These organizations are all valuable in helping TCK’s or more generally international youth communicate. They are all using global technologies and more specifically the internet to provide a “home” for these young people. However, after reading over the interactions on the Facebook groups, one realizes that the interactions are not necessarily going any farther than very general things such as where people have lived. The pictures are the kind of pictures you could find on a Travel-photo website. This brings me to believe that the 14,430 members are attracted to this space as an affirmation of their identity amongst many other parts of it, in the technoscape.

[i] Wall, M. (2007) “Social movements and email: Expressions of online identity in the globalization protests” in new media & society, Vol. 9(2):94.

[ii] Pollock D. C. and Van Reken R. Third Culture Kids. The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds (Yarmouth Maine, Intercultural Press 1999), 22.

[iii] “Facebook – third culture groups”. Online. <www.facebook.com> (Oct. 17^th 2007)

[iv] “GNG | global nomads group.” Online. <http://www.gng.org/> (20 Nov. 2007)

[v] “Global Nomad Virtual Village”. Online. <http://www.gnvv.org/> (Oct. 14th 2007)

[vi] “Youth Compass. Navigating life together”. Online. <http://www.youthcompass.org/> (Oct. 14th 2007)

[vii] “Interaction International”. Online. <http://www.interactionintl.org/home.asp> (Oct. 14th 2007)

1 third culture? or a diversity of cultures times 3

Sacha was once again in class trying to keep up to pace with the discussion. After starting a conversation on different cultural traits in the world, everyone got heated and started naming all their favorite TV shows on North American channels and their links to the subject matter. She tried to think of something, it’s not like she never watched TV when she was young, it just didn’t stick in her mind as well. Instead she kept on remembering the family day-trips to the nearest town in the country they were living in or the friendships she had at the time.

Then someone spoke up, “Well this is all nice of you to talk about the things you think most of us know, but I for one, didn’t watch this or that, so I have no idea what you guys are talking about!”. “Wow, thought Sacha, that’s courageous. I wish I had those guts.”

By Laura Kneale

~

A global movement that advocated indirectly for third culture is in line with the UNESCO Declaration on Cultural Diversity. This act clearly draws the line where culture should not be seen as a commodity [i] but rather something that inhabits all of us.

Within groups of third culture kids different cultural trends are visible in their adaptation to a new environment. Two interesting trends in third culture are the following two: “cultural chameleon” and “the hidden immigrant”. In both cases, the advantages and disadvantages oscillate between two extremes: blending in and standing out. In the case of the “cultural chameleon”, it may be easier for a TCK to adapt to their environment but it can also make them feel empty of their own identity. A “hidden immigrant” is a child that does not stand out physically in a group of foreigners. In addition, thanks to the “cultural chameleon” trait, a TCK “hidden immigrant” may even be able to hide any other traits he/she would have from the native country. [ii] These two cases are examples of how TCK’s exposure brings out a diversity of attitudes within third culture towards their host culture and their parent’s culture.

Contrary to Andrew Jakubowicz’s analysis of cyberia as a multicultural landscape reflecting power of the world’s cultural economies [iii], third culture cannot be categorized as complying to cultural imperialism. If anything the more exotic the place the TCK is living in, the imperative to fit in is that much more heightened. As Norma McCaig, founder of the Global Nomads network quoted a third culture kid say: “I feel I am an American, but not to the exclusion of other countries, cultures and peoples”.[v]

Overall, with all these degrees to which each TCK will develop their cultural identity, speaking a unique global TCK culture is limiting. Although forums such as Global Nomads International exist to link TCKs together through their common life experiences, it is necessary to distinguish the trends and novelties that emerge within a group that embeds cultural diversity as a whole.

[i] Chan-Tibergien, J. (2006) “Cultural diversity as resistance to neo-liberal globalization: The emergence of a global movement and convention” in Review of Education, Vol. 52: 94.

[ii] Pollock D. C. and Van Reken R. Third Culture Kids. The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds (Yarmouth Maine, Intercultural Press 1999), 91-96.

[iii] Jakubowicz, A. (2004). “Ethnic diversity, race and the cultural political economy of cyberspace” in H. Jenkins and D.Thornburn (eds.) Democracy and New Media (Cambridge, Massachussets: MIT Press), 65.

[iv] McCaig, Norma (1994). Growing up with a world view – nomad children develop multicultural skills. Foreign Service Journal, pp. 39.

Where is third culture going tomorrow?

 

http://www.kaiku.com/expatriate.html

As this analysis has largely concentrated on TCK’s characteristics in light of globalization themes such as music, genders or technologies, you may be wondering what happens to a TCK when they become an ATCK. The possibilities are as infinite as the destinations. Although studies have seen certain trends in the professions and lifestyles TCKs choose, the one conclusion that we can deduce is that growing up in a culture that is different from your parents’ is a non-negligible factor in a person’s future view of the world and of themselves. [i]

Nonetheless, TCKs are increasingly a minority in the global number of CCKs. Although they may not be the most representative group of cultural diversity and intercultural human relations in world [ii], understanding the TCK psyche and its different declinations is a study that may be used to further deepen the studies about CCKs particularly in the case of immigrant integration. A dilemma many of the ‘Global North’ countries face today.

[i] “International School Services – Services – Articles, News Resources – Third Culture Kids.” 26 Nov. 2007 <http://www.iss.edu/pages/kids.html>

[ii] Britten, Samuel (November 30, 1998) “TCK World: A Comparison of Different “Versions” Of TCKs” Third Culture Kid World. Retrieved December 3, 2006