The Transnational child

Research on migration frequently emphasises the cultural backgrounds of migrants, the numbers migrating, and the impact migrants are likely to have on social cohesion, on wealth and assets, and on vocational skills. Rarely, though, do these studies mention children. This article considers the primary school children of Chinese families who have migrated to Sydney, Australia and the development of their transnational identities. Specifically, the article focuses on three families and is drawn from a larger study on cultural identity and family expectations for school performance. The research is ethnographic in character and finds that the children in the study effectively negotiated both their Chinese and their Australian identities, often to a degree that surprised their parents.