Adult Educational Cross-Cultural Kids: Identities of Im(mobility) Across Sociolinguistic Spaces

Abstract

This article explores the notion of multilingual spaces as sites of (de)legitimization and of the construction of (un)belonging by analyzing the lived experiences of six Hong Kong adult educational cross-cultural kids (AECCK) (i.e., adults who have spent their formative years attending schools founded on and run by a cultural base different from their home or local language), and reports representative narratives from three focal AECCK’s. The study focuses on the way the AECCKs’ identities were constructed as they were positioned as perpetual foreigners across different spaces and times, from the sociolinguistic spaces in which they grew up and the spaces that they encountered abroad. Findings show that even the economically and educationally privileged may also encounter linguistic spaces where they are delegitimized—unequal distribution of power can occur in any multilingual spaces. This study highlights the importance of fostering greater inclusivity in spaces of multilingualism in promoting the wellbeing of all multilinguals.

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