“It is not only an iPad!” –Language and Identity in a Transnational Family

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Sunday 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Toward a Transnational Educational Research Agenda

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of a Chinese mother and daughter navigating language, identity, and race in the U.S. What began as a five-year teaching assignment gradually shifted into a decision to stay, as we recognized the challenges our children might face readjusting to education in China and sought potential opportunities for our transnational family’s future. Drawing on Critical Race Theory and Latina/x feminist frameworks, I analyze how an early incident of my daughter’s linguistic isolation at school reveals broader patterns of linguicism. Through counter-storytelling, I explore how bilingualism functions as both a challenge and a form of resistance, shaping our layered identities as we navigate between assimilation pressures and the desire to preserve language and culture.

Author

• Xiao Hu, University of Utah