I am a ‘|’ not a ‘-’: a phenomenographic study of bi/multilingual adolescents’ conceptions of transnational identity

Abstract

ABSTRACT Previous studies have described diaspora members as linguistically stable subjects on whom bounded linguistic or ethnic categories are imposed, yet more recent research tends to view transnational identity as fluid and situational. This study investigates how adolescents with advanced Chinese and English proficiency living across China and the United States perceive their language and identity under conditions of constant mobility. Drawn from a two-year ethnographic project on Chinese diasporic families, the present study adopted phenomenography as the methodological approach and collected data through interviews and participant observations with 18 transnational adolescents living in the US. The findings reveal the adolescents’ perspectives on transnational identity as a situated construct that entails one’s sense of location, nationality, ethnicity, culture, kinship, language and pursuit of personal meaning. These many facets of identity are not mutually exclusive but closely interrelated, and these adolescents can access a rich identity repertoire through strategic bilingual/multilingual practices. These findings suggest the fluidity and complexity of transnational identity and illustrate the analytical efficacy of phenomenography. Crucially, through this way of identity performance these bi/multilinguals are able to break the hyphenated entitlement (e.g. ‘Chinese-American’) that may have suppressed their self-recognition and embrace a fascinating world with unprecedented possibilities.