Political identities of Chinese international students: Patterns and change in transnational space

Abstract

Amid the ongoing international tensions surrounding China, Chinese international students (CISs) in Western countries have become targets of political suspicion. Against discriminatory voices that make sweeping generalisations about CISs, this research argues that their political identities are in fact diverse and malleable. Using theories of postmodernism and transnationalism, this study applies thematic analysis and discourse analysis to interviews with 28 CISs, yielding four major findings. First, it identifies three distinct patterns of political identity: Chinese nationalists who endorse conservative politics in the West; advocates of liberal democracy; and transnational neoliberals who avoid political participation. Second, it argues that CISs undergo identity changes depending on a range of individual and social characteristics. Among these characteristics, third, it highlights the role of socioeconomic status in shaping the political identities of CISs, and in so doing, reflects on the inadequacy of race and nationality as identity markers. Fourth, it suggests that the political identities of CISs are transnationally hinged on both China and the host countries. On the practical front, the study may inform professions working with CISs such as education and policymaking. Theoretically, it suggests that the political identities of CISs are heterogenous, impressionable and transnationally contingent.

The politics of Chinese immigrants’ double unbelonging and deglobalization

“…This reductionism precludes multiple perspectives and paves the way for binary thinking (W. Liu, 2020). The aforementioned Chinese media campaigns, for example, depicted a powerful, committed Chinese nation-state that was ready to support its overseas citizens against a precarious, racist western society (Gao, 2022a). Meanwhile, on the US side, there have been vociferous right-wing voices calling China out for its allegedly Communist opposition to democracy, sidestepping the fact that China's neoliberal capitalism shares much common ground with US right-wing politics.…”

“…In my fieldwork, I have similarly found that upper-class Chinese immigrants are more capable of fending off the impact of the China–West confrontation. It is the underprivileged who weather the brunt of it (Gao, 2022a). In one extreme case, one of my participants was unable to afford the soaring price of a flight ticket and, as a result, had to watch her well-off peers returning to China one by one while she herself remained stranded in the UK with an expired visa for nearly six months.…”

“…Some are multimillion-dollar investors while others struggle for a living with undocumented status. Some protest against the Hong Kong democratic movement and some continue with anti-Chinese regime activism as exiles (Gao, 2022a; Manthorpe, 2019). Unfortunately, such diversity has been frequently neglected in policies, media representations, public perception, and even academic research.…”

“…Thanks to the Internet, my research participants hailed from different geographical locales, including North America, Europe, and Oceania. Additionally, my research participants held different political opinions (Gao, 2022a). Yet there was a common concern that united them all: China's contestation with the West.…”

Research on the Path of Enhancing Students’ Political Identity in Teaching Ethics and Rule of Law in the Information Age

“…Using theme and discourse analysis, Gao, Z. selected 28 Chinese citizens for survey interviews and identified three modes of political identity in China at this stage. It is concluded from the above political identity that the citizens' political identity comes from their socioeconomic status, and the application of the research strategy in education and decision-making can enhance the citizens' political identity [15]. Liang, L. analyzes the current situation of Civic and Political Education in colleges and universities from the perspective of Civic and Political Education.…”