Anastasia Lijadi Scholar: ‘I believe there will be more third culture kids worldwide’

Anastasia Lijadi

Third culture kids (TCKs) is a term used to refer to individuals who were raised in a cultural environment different from their parents for a significant part of their childhood. Many consequently struggle with the concept of identity and a sense of belonging.
Anastasia Lijadi of the University of Macau recently published her dissertation, titled “Bloom where you are planted: Place identity construction of third culture kids,” which won an award from the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology.

Macau Daily Times (MDT) – What prompted you to undertake this area of research?
Anastasia Lijadi (AL) – My children will grow up as TCKs – individuals who trailed behind their parents who hopped across the border. As a parent of TCKs in the making, and for many parents in a similar situation, I would like to know if we are making the right decision for the future of our children by continuing to live our high mobility lifestyle.

MDT – What is the state of the TCKs community in Macau?
AL – I don’t have information on the numbers of TCKs in Macau, but I can estimate about 30 percent of students in English-speaking schools and international schools of Macau are TCKs. Most TCKs families here work with multinational organizations, though I also noticed that there are self-mobility families, or those who have moved in pursuit of a better life.
Living and growing up in numerous places has provided TCKs with benefits such as a high level of cross-cultural understanding and adaptability. However, even though the TCKs might know the common practices of many cultures they might not necessarily have internalized any one culture.
The challenges for TCKs in Macau are similar to those in other places, but what might be specific here is the state of the education system, as so far Macau only has English and Portuguese-speaking international schools.

MDT – Your research claims that TCKs have unique relationships with family and friends. What were your findings?
AL – In my research on the friendships and relationships of TCKs, I found that due to their high-mobility lifestyle, TCKs build strong bonds with their parents as they are often the only stable, constant and prominent figures in their lives as they travel to and from various places.  TCKs find less stability in relationships with their siblings, who may have to leave to pursue education, career or family life elsewhere, and with peers and a society that are constantly changing.
On the other hand, the adult TCKs participants in my research mentioned that their parents did not understand their struggle and that they had nobody to confide in about their difficulties. […] From my research, I can point out several generational differences between TCKs, which also influence how they find meaning in their high-mobility lifestyles.

MDT – How much of your research was based on your interaction with TCKs in Macau?
AL – For my doctoral research I focused on the TCKs lifestyle in a few cities, including Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Jakarta. Only 20 percent of my participants lived in Macau when I recruited them and half of them have since left.
Macau is a relatively new place for expatriate families and their TCKs, whereas Hong Kong, Singapore and Jakarta have been cultural melting pots for decades. Macau has recently been attracting many families from all over the world due to the opening up of the gaming industry in 2002.

MDT – How do you expect the TCK ‘culture’ will develop in the future?
AL – I believe there will be more TCKs around the world as more people than ever are living abroad.  In 2013, the United Nations reported that 232 million people, or 3.2 per cent of the world’s population, were international migrants.  The growth in the past 13 years has been exponential compared to the 175 million recorded in 2000 and 154 million in 1990.
TCKs definitely have an influence the world. As Margaret Mead, the famous anthropologist said: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’

MDT – How would you like others to continue your research?
AL – I am curious to know if the findings from my dissertation can be extended to Cross Culture Kids (CCKs) – that is, those who interacted with fewer foreign cultures or lived in a different country for a significant period of time during their developmental years, such as those from the Macanese, Portuguese, and mainland Chinese communities in Macau.
Further studies are needed to understand how multiculturalism is integrated in school curriculums and how schools can assist TCKs adjust to their new environment. Daniel Beitler