Beyond Binaries: Agency and Musical Identity in Chinese American Immigrant Children’s Ecological Systems.

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Abstract

This qualitative multiple-case study investigates how Chinese American immigrant children construct their musical identities within complex sociocultural ecosystems, using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory. It explores four children’s musical engagement and self-reimagination, revealing identities articulated through diverse musical cultures, often transcending traditional bicultural music identity binaries. Sociocultural factors across all ecological levels influence this construction, with parents’ cultural capital, Confucian values, parenting styles, siblings, and digital technologies being most influential. Traditional Chinese folk music was less present, while children actively demonstrated agency in shaping their musical narratives. This study reconceptualizes bicultural music identity as a fluid spectrum, offering theoretical contributions to ecological systems theory in music education and practical implications for culturally responsive pedagogies and parental support.

Author

• Xin Xie, Macau University of Science and Technology