Behind Flexible Citizenship: Transnational Habitus of Chinese “Study Mothers” in Education-Driven Migration

• In Event: Bourdieusian Contexts and Cases in Teaching and Technology

Abstract

Over the last few decades, studies on Chinese transnational families have highlighted the vital role played by “study mothers”, who accompany their children to study while living apart from their partner, in education-drive migration where they involved in labor-intensive and emotionally absorbing activities. However, previous research has predominantly portrayed them within the household, neglecting their interactions with a larger environment. Adopting a bourdieusian conceptualization of “transnational habitus”, this study seeks to understand how Chinese study mothers experience settlement, space, and day-to-day engagements in a transnational context. By focusing on their misfitting habitus, transformed habitus, and individuated habitus, this research looks behind of the narrative of “flexible citizenship” and highlights the significance of comprehending the diversity and complexity of Chinese transnationalism.

Author

• Yifan Liu, University of Toronto