National belonging and citizenship in an era of globalization and transnational migration: Korean migrant youth in the United States

Abstract

Abstract In an era of transnational migration, growing numbers of students who migrate and live transnationally are entering US schools. However, there has been little research exploring the transnationalism of diverse groups of migrant students and their construction of belonging, citizenship, and identity. To address this gap, this article examines Korean migrant youth’s transnationalism and their sensemaking of national, cultural, linguistic belonging. In addition, the investigation encompasses the intragroup diversities among the Korean migrant students and the ways that their distinctive immigrant histories, educational trajectories, and language use impact their construction of identities. The findings indicate diverse conceptualizations of national belonging and citizenship held by contemporary migrant youth, varied levels of transnationalism, and a scarcity of teaching and learning about the changing nature of citizenship in school. This study suggests that migrant youth can be a great resource for learning about globalization and its impact on people’s lives and identities.