National identity of rural Chinese older adults: a hermeneutic phenomenological study

Abstract

Although the emergence of a sense of national identity in daily narratives is common, little is known about how the Chinese older adults, particularly those living in rural districts, remember national events and construct a sense of belonging to their country. In this qualitative study, we investigate how Chinese rural older adults construct national identity by telling their life stories. Adopting a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, we interviewed 18 participants in a village located in southwest China. The explicitation of the data revealed that the older adults in this study recalled many national events in much detail while telling their personal stories as though these events formed an essential part of their self-concept and identity. Four themes were identified regarding the older adults’ identification with their country: remembering Chinese history, emphasizing Chinese culture, praising the central government and national leaders, and national identity in negotiation. We discuss limitations of the study and the implications for both future research and practices in educational gerontology and suggest that professionals working with Chinese rural older adults aware that their clients’ personal narratives might mix with national and governmental matters.

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