Highly Educated Korean Chinese Living Overseas : Their Strategic Language Education an d Hybrid Identity

ZHAO Guihua

doi:10.15018/00001077

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

高学歴中国朝鮮族の移動 : 先を見つめる子育てとハイブリッド・アイデンティティ
コウガクレキチュウゴクチョウセンゾクノイドウ : サキオミツメルコソダテトハイブリッド・アイデンティティ

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Description

In this paper I investigate the current situation of how highly educated Korean Chinese move between three countries, Japan. China, and Korea, especially paying attention to those who currently reside in Japan. I also consider how their self identities are established and how they should give their children language education at home. Recently, young Korean Chinese, who have a chance to learn Chinese, Korean, and Japanese in Korean Chinese School (Chaoxianzu Xuexiao) in China, freely move in the East Asian region, in order to acquire higher education and get a better job, sometimes with the aim of reuniting with their parents and relatives. They feel this region forms a living sphere across the national border. Meanwhile, highly educated Korean Chinese regard language as a part of human capital, and strategically try to hand over this “language capital” it their children in a long-run perspective, in order for them to survive in a tough competitive society. They often teach their children Chinese or Korean, which are not taught in Japanese school. Their multilingual ability and cross-border mobility within this region also give a great influence on the formation of their self identities. While they move freely across the border, they develop a subjective way of thinking to cultivate a hybrid self identity on a cultural basis beyond political and historical conflicts. They also expect their children to establish such a hybrid self identity with a great diversity and flexibility. In that sense, strategic language education can he regarded as a means to realize it.

Journal

アジア太平洋研究

アジア太平洋研究 37 47-63, 2012-11

成蹊大学アジア太平洋研究センター