British Chinese youth transitions :cultural identity and youth formations in Newcastle upon Tyne

Abstract

Research with British Chinese young people has tended to focus on experiences of racism, the influence of catering, and more recently educational attainment. Focusing on young Chinese people growing up in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, this thesis brings these areas of scholarship into conversation in order to explore the youth transitions, cultural identities and everyday experiences of British Chinese youth. A key argument of this thesis is that integrating understandings of youth transitions with the everyday experiences of Chinese youth provides a critical contribution to the field. It not only expands the transitions debate that has centred primarily on white working class youth, but specifically enables a more holistic portrait of British Chinese youth to emerge. This study draws upon qualitative interviews with twenty four British born Chinese young people. The project is aimed at those aged 16-25 years. Four key influences on transition are explored: family and home; language and identity; education and aspirations; and leisure lifestyles. Home relations reveal many participants are expected to assist their families in catering work and therefore face a range of responsibilities whilst growing up, from supporting family businesses to caring for younger siblings. An analysis of language demonstrates many participants are actually ambivalent and lack confidence when it comes to Chinese linguistic competency. Nevertheless participants played significant roles as mediators, assisting their parents through English. In the education arena high levels of attainment at school and university reflect strong personal motivations to succeed, a desire to meet parental demands and an awareness of the sacrifices their parents had made to provide them with such opportunities. In their leisure time, British Chinese young people tended to engage with a broadly defined ‘ sian’ culture through global media including television, the internet and music. However, these experiences are found to be shaped by gender, young people’s life-course positioning and broader educational commitments. Overall, by exploring the role of family, language, education and leisure, this thesis offers a rich series of insights into the cultural identities and youth formations of British Chinese young people in Newcastle upon Tyne.