What do you think?
Rate this book
Growing Up in Transit: The Politics of Belonging at an International School
“[R]ecommended to anyone interested in multiculturalism and migration….[and] food for thought also for scholars studying migration in less privileged contexts.”― Social Anthropology In this compelling study of the children of serial migrants, Danau Tanu argues that the international schools they attend promote an ideology of being “international” that is Eurocentric. Despite the cosmopolitan rhetoric, hierarchies of race, culture and class shape popularity, friendships, and romance on campus. By going back to high school for a year, Tanu befriended transnational youth, often called “Third Culture Kids”, to present their struggles with identity, belonging and internalized racism in their own words. The result is the first engaging, anthropological critique of the way Western-style cosmopolitanism is institutionalized as cultural capital to reproduce global socio-cultural inequalities. From the
When I first went back to high school at thirty-something, I wanted to write a book about people who live in multiple countries as children and grow up into adults addicted to migrating. I wanted to write about people like Anne-Sophie Bolon who are popularly referred to as “Third Culture Kids” or “global nomads.” … I wanted to probe the contradiction between the celebrated image of “global citizens” and the economic privilege that makes their mobile lifestyle possible. From a personal angle, I was interested in exploring the voices among this population that had yet to be heard (particularly the voices of those of Asian descent) by documenting the persistence of culture, race, and language in defining social relations even among self-proclaimed cosmopolitan youth.
When I first went back to high school at thirty-something, I wanted to write a book about people who live in multiple countries as children and grow up into adults addicted to migrating. I wanted to write about people like Anne-Sophie Bolon who are popularly referred to as “Third Culture Kids” or “global nomads.” … I wanted to probe the contradiction between the celebrated image of “global citizens” and the economic privilege that makes their mobile lifestyle possible. From a personal angle, I was interested in exploring the voices among this population that had yet to be heard (particularly the voices of those of Asian descent) by documenting the persistence of culture, race, and language in defining social relations even among self-proclaimed cosmopolitan youth.
296 pages, Library Binding
Published October 1, 2017
48 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 11, 2021
I had high hopes for this book, especially after reading the introduction. While I was able to take away some ideas from the book that will hold value, I found the research to be unreliable and many of the conclusions to be unsupported. The author does not share any details about her interview questions or procedures. She focuses on a handful of students, a couple of parents, and a few teachers only, which leaves a lot to be desired in the representation of the school population. It concerns me that this text may be used to stand for all international schools.
August 7, 2021
As an international school teacher, this book provided a lot of valuable food for thought. I also really enjoyed the insights provided through snippets of her student interviews. It was certainly worth my time.
Still, I found that she often made arguments that are far too sweeping based on the limited evidence provided by her fieldwork. As a student who studied internationally herself, it seems as though she knew what she wanted to find and used her data to support hypotheses she already believed were true.
I also wonder how much of her work is generalizable to other international schools.
Still, I found that she often made arguments that are far too sweeping based on the limited evidence provided by her fieldwork. As a student who studied internationally herself, it seems as though she knew what she wanted to find and used her data to support hypotheses she already believed were true.
I also wonder how much of her work is generalizable to other international schools.
January 3, 2023
Big Ideas That Should Concern All International Schools
Some of the less than enthusiastic reviews of this book disappointed me, because I think there are lots of big ideas here that are relevant for most, if not all, international schools. For example, international schools do play a role in socializing students “into the transnational capitalist class”. Our mission statements describe it idealistically, in terms of creating global citizens, but I think Tanu is right to be explicit about the pragmatic aspect of it, because many parents do enroll their children into international schools for that reason, and schools operate with those parental aspirations in mind. Tanu shows how that unacknowledged mission has a negative impact on student identity and school culture.
The English language has a privileged position at international schools, because English is the language of the global economy. The explicit definition of “international” that Tanu describes in places is in widespread use at international schools, I believe, but she’s also correct to point out that “international” has implicit meanings too because of the global economy. Western cultural skills and English language skills are prized, because they are necessary for individuals, and nations, to integrate into the global economy. For that reason, possessing Western cultural skills and English language skills is conflated with being “international”. Tanu also suggests that there are other ways of being international, and that international schools do not acknowledge or even see them.
Other points are made, such as this one: “The conflation of English language fluency with being international and the high status with which it is accorded deeply impacts the subjectivities of transnational youth and their relations with other…” - p. 57
And this: “While international school students today are not being colonized, being educated in a language seen as superior to their own still has a similarly powerful influence. International schools interpellate or give identity to young people by promoting ways of being “international” that privilege Western cultural capital, such as the English language.” - p. 65 - 66
Although I enjoyed the details about the usefulness and the limits of the Third Culture Kids concept, I’m not confident I understood her argument. However, I definitely enjoyed the academic preciseness of her writing throughout the book:
“For the purposes of this book, I differentiate between cosmopolitan ideologies, practices, capital, and subjectivities. Cosmopolitan ideologies pertain to attitudes and beliefs about peaceably engaging with the Other; cosmopolitan practices refer to the ways in which one engages with the Other; cosmopolitan capital refers to the cultural capabilities and social networks that enable one to practice cosmopolitanism; and cosmopolitan subjectivities refer to the ways in which people feel or do not feel cosmopolitan.” - p. 25
Details About One School That Illuminate International School Cultures In General
Tanu quotes the high school students she observed and interviewed. The school she profiles seemed more focused on identifying and sorting students as “international” than mine does, though I may be blissfully ignorant… Although the descriptions of the student groups at that specific school in Indonesia may not apply directly to every international school, they are very useful and thought-provoking. My school does not have all the same dynamics, I suspect, but it was and would be interesting to compare and contrast them, because all international schools have a responsibility, a duty, to reflect on the transnational spaces students inhabit within the school. Understanding those spaces may be the key to formulating a school culture that nurtures student identity and fosters “internationalism” in all its forms. An anthropologist should observe and interview students at my school for a semester. I suspect there is “invisible diversity” and other insights to be had that would shake up staff perceptions of our “problems” too.
Implications
For me, this is a 5-star read. There are so many implications to ponder. My interest in this book began with student identity and the English language. Many international schools are moving away from English-only policies, or already have, and I read this book looking for insights about multilingualism, translanguaging, and student identity.
English is not going away anytime soon. It is a universal language like no other. Read my review of The Fall of Language in the Age of English by Minae Mizumura to learn more. Also, I’m not a Marxist. I do not believe international schools must shy away from preparing students for a Westernized global economy. However, I do think “internationalism” has multiple forms and that must be acknowledged and affirmed by the school culture. Conflating lofty ideals about global citizenship with a hidden curriculum of Western cultural skills and English language skills is probably misguided and seems damaging to student identity, because it inevitably imposes a cultural hierarchy, a cultural hierarchy that students consciously or unconsciously fight or are subsumed by, sometimes at their peril, always at their peril?
Separating the two missions (internationalism vs socializing students for the global economy) and being explicit about both of them could improve school culture for all, but it might especially benefit those students who do not possess enough Western cultural skills and English language skills to currently feel they belong.
“What does it mean to be international?” is a good starting place for reexamining and reimagining how international schools can be more clear and deliberate about creating global citizens and about socializing students for the global economy with “natural” English-language skills and Western cultural capital.
I teach first graders. In a way, Tanu’s observations of high school students are not directly relevant to my day-to-day. At the same time, they are: “…many of the students who had been at TIS since elementary school or middle school used to be good friends with students who were, by high school, hanging out in different language-based groups… As they grew older, however, social and cultural capital grew in influence over their sense of mutual intelligibility with each other, affecting their ability to maintain or make new friendships across those differences.” - p. 181
What are the implications of that?
Questions
I have lots of other questions. Some follow. Sorry/not sorry if any show a lack of understanding:
I suspect school rules and/or expectations about English-language use must probably differ K-12. How do we implement them while nurturing student identity? (Part of the answer involves teaching students about all these forces that are at work, so that they are knowledgeable participants. Transparency and clarity for starters, right? )
Learning English affects identity. For some, altering identity at whatever age may be painful and irreversible, but is it a process any different than any other when growing up? Isn’t it inevitable that some will grow up and wonder if they would have been better off without becoming “international”, and some will balk at the idea that they could ever be anything except “international”?
If students aren’t marginalized by a dominant school culture, will multilingualism flourish?
If other forms of “internationalism” are recognized, will multilingualism flourish?
If multilingualism flourishes, will that ensure that a level of “natural English” will develop in most or many students?
How do we develop transnational spaces that honor and affirm the multiplicity of forms that “internationalism” may take in our students?
How is it possible to affirm identity and also nurture language acquisition, especially English, the language that parents pragmatically want their children to learn at most/many international schools?
Is there already a K-12 continuum that allows children to gain the desired fluency with different rules/responsibilities at various ability levels? What best practices can we develop that will strengthen/bolster identity as children transition through the years?
Is it possible to prepare students for a globalized economy without creating a school culture that privileges Western cultural capital and “normal” English language skills?
Is it a disservice and a betrayal of parental trust not to nurture “normal” English, regardless of the potentially destabilizing effects on identity?
Won’t transnational youth encounter doubts about their identity regardless? Are transnational spaces at international school even the mitigating factor? Isn’t it possible that transnational spaces at international schools are already providing transnational youth with opportunities to process their experiences and fortify their identities, or could?
Do international schools prepare students for their future world? Dana Tanu, for example, published in English… because English is the language of international academia as well as business…
Conclusions?
Naturally, international schools should continuously reflect on their school culture and its impact on students. If students do not seem to embrace the school culture, such as using English as a common language, those students may be practicing a form of internationalism that does not privilege Western cultural skills and English language skills, as Tanu describes at the school in Jakarta. If their internationalism is acknowledged and their achievements affirmed, they may be more inclined to embrace the dominant school culture, though perhaps that school culture needs to be delinked from a strictly Western version of internationalism.
Finally, international schools could just respond to all this very cynically by openly declaring that they provide a top quality education AND Western cultural capital, including English language skills, which is synonymous with global economic opportunity. It isn’t as lofty-sounding as “internationalism” or global citizenship, but that may be the reason some readers of this book seem offended by the author’s arguments... But it’s okay, everyone. You can be a good person and eat meat, you can be a good person and use plastic, and you can be a good person and work at an international school. But maybe you can’t be a good person if you aren’t willing to believe that some changes may be in order.
Some of the less than enthusiastic reviews of this book disappointed me, because I think there are lots of big ideas here that are relevant for most, if not all, international schools. For example, international schools do play a role in socializing students “into the transnational capitalist class”. Our mission statements describe it idealistically, in terms of creating global citizens, but I think Tanu is right to be explicit about the pragmatic aspect of it, because many parents do enroll their children into international schools for that reason, and schools operate with those parental aspirations in mind. Tanu shows how that unacknowledged mission has a negative impact on student identity and school culture.
The English language has a privileged position at international schools, because English is the language of the global economy. The explicit definition of “international” that Tanu describes in places is in widespread use at international schools, I believe, but she’s also correct to point out that “international” has implicit meanings too because of the global economy. Western cultural skills and English language skills are prized, because they are necessary for individuals, and nations, to integrate into the global economy. For that reason, possessing Western cultural skills and English language skills is conflated with being “international”. Tanu also suggests that there are other ways of being international, and that international schools do not acknowledge or even see them.
Other points are made, such as this one: “The conflation of English language fluency with being international and the high status with which it is accorded deeply impacts the subjectivities of transnational youth and their relations with other…” - p. 57
And this: “While international school students today are not being colonized, being educated in a language seen as superior to their own still has a similarly powerful influence. International schools interpellate or give identity to young people by promoting ways of being “international” that privilege Western cultural capital, such as the English language.” - p. 65 - 66
Although I enjoyed the details about the usefulness and the limits of the Third Culture Kids concept, I’m not confident I understood her argument. However, I definitely enjoyed the academic preciseness of her writing throughout the book:
“For the purposes of this book, I differentiate between cosmopolitan ideologies, practices, capital, and subjectivities. Cosmopolitan ideologies pertain to attitudes and beliefs about peaceably engaging with the Other; cosmopolitan practices refer to the ways in which one engages with the Other; cosmopolitan capital refers to the cultural capabilities and social networks that enable one to practice cosmopolitanism; and cosmopolitan subjectivities refer to the ways in which people feel or do not feel cosmopolitan.” - p. 25
Details About One School That Illuminate International School Cultures In General
Tanu quotes the high school students she observed and interviewed. The school she profiles seemed more focused on identifying and sorting students as “international” than mine does, though I may be blissfully ignorant… Although the descriptions of the student groups at that specific school in Indonesia may not apply directly to every international school, they are very useful and thought-provoking. My school does not have all the same dynamics, I suspect, but it was and would be interesting to compare and contrast them, because all international schools have a responsibility, a duty, to reflect on the transnational spaces students inhabit within the school. Understanding those spaces may be the key to formulating a school culture that nurtures student identity and fosters “internationalism” in all its forms. An anthropologist should observe and interview students at my school for a semester. I suspect there is “invisible diversity” and other insights to be had that would shake up staff perceptions of our “problems” too.
Implications
For me, this is a 5-star read. There are so many implications to ponder. My interest in this book began with student identity and the English language. Many international schools are moving away from English-only policies, or already have, and I read this book looking for insights about multilingualism, translanguaging, and student identity.
English is not going away anytime soon. It is a universal language like no other. Read my review of The Fall of Language in the Age of English by Minae Mizumura to learn more. Also, I’m not a Marxist. I do not believe international schools must shy away from preparing students for a Westernized global economy. However, I do think “internationalism” has multiple forms and that must be acknowledged and affirmed by the school culture. Conflating lofty ideals about global citizenship with a hidden curriculum of Western cultural skills and English language skills is probably misguided and seems damaging to student identity, because it inevitably imposes a cultural hierarchy, a cultural hierarchy that students consciously or unconsciously fight or are subsumed by, sometimes at their peril, always at their peril?
Separating the two missions (internationalism vs socializing students for the global economy) and being explicit about both of them could improve school culture for all, but it might especially benefit those students who do not possess enough Western cultural skills and English language skills to currently feel they belong.
“What does it mean to be international?” is a good starting place for reexamining and reimagining how international schools can be more clear and deliberate about creating global citizens and about socializing students for the global economy with “natural” English-language skills and Western cultural capital.
I teach first graders. In a way, Tanu’s observations of high school students are not directly relevant to my day-to-day. At the same time, they are: “…many of the students who had been at TIS since elementary school or middle school used to be good friends with students who were, by high school, hanging out in different language-based groups… As they grew older, however, social and cultural capital grew in influence over their sense of mutual intelligibility with each other, affecting their ability to maintain or make new friendships across those differences.” - p. 181
What are the implications of that?
Questions
I have lots of other questions. Some follow. Sorry/not sorry if any show a lack of understanding:
I suspect school rules and/or expectations about English-language use must probably differ K-12. How do we implement them while nurturing student identity? (Part of the answer involves teaching students about all these forces that are at work, so that they are knowledgeable participants. Transparency and clarity for starters, right? )
Learning English affects identity. For some, altering identity at whatever age may be painful and irreversible, but is it a process any different than any other when growing up? Isn’t it inevitable that some will grow up and wonder if they would have been better off without becoming “international”, and some will balk at the idea that they could ever be anything except “international”?
If students aren’t marginalized by a dominant school culture, will multilingualism flourish?
If other forms of “internationalism” are recognized, will multilingualism flourish?
If multilingualism flourishes, will that ensure that a level of “natural English” will develop in most or many students?
How do we develop transnational spaces that honor and affirm the multiplicity of forms that “internationalism” may take in our students?
How is it possible to affirm identity and also nurture language acquisition, especially English, the language that parents pragmatically want their children to learn at most/many international schools?
Is there already a K-12 continuum that allows children to gain the desired fluency with different rules/responsibilities at various ability levels? What best practices can we develop that will strengthen/bolster identity as children transition through the years?
Is it possible to prepare students for a globalized economy without creating a school culture that privileges Western cultural capital and “normal” English language skills?
Is it a disservice and a betrayal of parental trust not to nurture “normal” English, regardless of the potentially destabilizing effects on identity?
Won’t transnational youth encounter doubts about their identity regardless? Are transnational spaces at international school even the mitigating factor? Isn’t it possible that transnational spaces at international schools are already providing transnational youth with opportunities to process their experiences and fortify their identities, or could?
Do international schools prepare students for their future world? Dana Tanu, for example, published in English… because English is the language of international academia as well as business…
Conclusions?
Naturally, international schools should continuously reflect on their school culture and its impact on students. If students do not seem to embrace the school culture, such as using English as a common language, those students may be practicing a form of internationalism that does not privilege Western cultural skills and English language skills, as Tanu describes at the school in Jakarta. If their internationalism is acknowledged and their achievements affirmed, they may be more inclined to embrace the dominant school culture, though perhaps that school culture needs to be delinked from a strictly Western version of internationalism.
Finally, international schools could just respond to all this very cynically by openly declaring that they provide a top quality education AND Western cultural capital, including English language skills, which is synonymous with global economic opportunity. It isn’t as lofty-sounding as “internationalism” or global citizenship, but that may be the reason some readers of this book seem offended by the author’s arguments... But it’s okay, everyone. You can be a good person and eat meat, you can be a good person and use plastic, and you can be a good person and work at an international school. But maybe you can’t be a good person if you aren’t willing to believe that some changes may be in order.
December 27, 2021
In all my search for literature and resources aimed at transnational youth, this book was exactly what I had been missing. The author is critical while still being empathetic and that makes her perspective really valuable and also reassuring. Like, I can read it and understand what was messed up about my education without feeling attacked. Also a fantastic example of contemporary anthropological work that isn't colonial lol.
(I would actually give it a 4.5, my only reservations being that the analytical commentary, while thoroughly explained, could be repetitive at times, and that the jargon use might be a little heavy for readers unused to the sociological theorists and concepts).
(I would actually give it a 4.5, my only reservations being that the analytical commentary, while thoroughly explained, could be repetitive at times, and that the jargon use might be a little heavy for readers unused to the sociological theorists and concepts).
January 30, 2021
A must-read for EVERY international educator! Dr. Tanu collects evidence of transnational youth so accurately and compellingly. She puts together the puzzle pieces in a way that gives you a new lens through which you can see the international school system. I hope this book becomes a mandatory "new international teacher orientation" manual.
February 5, 2022
I've never read a book on International Schools before and I'm very interested, having gone to public American schools, Bengali private schools, and two International schools. I think that there's a lot of interesting topics regarding belonging and politics at international schools and I was a little frustrated that those topics were not delved into. Instead, the author came at the subject with a clear bias - which she made sure to talk about upfront, with a whole chapter on her own background as an international school student and 'third culture kid'. But I was not here to read about people struggling with their identities. Frankly I don't find it different enough from people who are first or second generation immigrants to another country. It is all similar. What is different about international schools is the way that they are strange little microcosms of what people believe America is like that can sometimes be completely disjointed from the rest of the community and city around them. The weird code-switching that happens as kids move between groups - and to the author's credit she does devote a large portion of this book to the way that language and accents play out in this environment. Again, I think that the subjects and topics that were covered were really interesting but there were parts I thought should be more in depth (for example, the actual school curriculum and the International Baccalaureate Program, or the way that an international education sometimes means default a British or American one, or the way that rules are different re: drugs, alcohol, and dating among different groups/ethnicities within the student body) and not as obviously colored by the author's opinions. As a side note, I did really like the part where she talked about how things were with the teachers at the school, and how financial differences played out.
November 21, 2021
I have followed Dr. Tanu on Twitter for some time and have been involved with various professional development workshops and conferences where she is present(ing). She is an invaluable voice, expert and a force in the field of international schools.
This book should be required reading for anyone working in an international school anywhere in the world. Dr. Tanu takes a close well-researched look into the explicit and implicit power dynamics at a specific school in Jakarta, but she could be talking about any international school worldwide.
The tone and voice can, at times feel, academic heavy, but the citations and research add weight to the content that is already forcing the reader to questions many of the assumed positive characteristics of international schools- mainly global mindedness and internationalism.
Dr. Tanu forces the reader to reconsider the neutrality of many of the aspirational mission statements steering many international schools and instead consider and acknowledge the influence and lingering effects of colonial histories and current capitalistic worldviews.
What kind of social capital is being exchanged in your schools? The answers may surprise you. "The notion of being international is, in fact, constructed by and dependent upon colonial and capitalists discourses of national, racial, cultural and class differences."
This book should be required reading for anyone working in an international school anywhere in the world. Dr. Tanu takes a close well-researched look into the explicit and implicit power dynamics at a specific school in Jakarta, but she could be talking about any international school worldwide.
The tone and voice can, at times feel, academic heavy, but the citations and research add weight to the content that is already forcing the reader to questions many of the assumed positive characteristics of international schools- mainly global mindedness and internationalism.
Dr. Tanu forces the reader to reconsider the neutrality of many of the aspirational mission statements steering many international schools and instead consider and acknowledge the influence and lingering effects of colonial histories and current capitalistic worldviews.
What kind of social capital is being exchanged in your schools? The answers may surprise you. "The notion of being international is, in fact, constructed by and dependent upon colonial and capitalists discourses of national, racial, cultural and class differences."
January 24, 2025
I began reading this book nearly 3 years ago and finally finished it this year after a long break from it. I admit that I struggled with the book initially because of its almost clinical academic tone. This surprised me, given that the text is largely based on an ethnographic study. I want to give this a 3.5 star review, but I'm rounding it up. I'm glad I had a break in the middle of it, as this actually helped me process it better, I think. And it meant I ended up re-reading some sections (and my notes from those sections).
Would I say this book is a must-read for international educators? No. Is it helpful? Well, that depends. If you are working as an educator in an international school based in Asia, it could be helpful. More specifically, certain sections of it might be helpful. If you are an educator outside of Asia, some of the specific parallels may not apply but the conclusions would.
I appreciated how Tanu draws the parallels from our globalized, capitalist, postcolonical world to the experiences and lives of transnational students. She ties this up neatly and cohesively in the conclusion, and I wish she made these parallels clearer in every chapter; in some chapters she connects these dots more clearly than in others. In drawing these parallels, she shines a light on our schools as microcosms. This is particularly resonant because some international schools see themselves as bubbles, whereby the values of "internationalism" are idealized. Many international schools believe they are immune to the effects of globalization, capitalism, and postcolonialism (not to mention racism!). Tanu's work demonstrates clearly that this is not possible.
However, I find problems in Tanu's work in a few different domains. One, her tone is far too academic at times. I understand that she is a researcher, and an academic. But her very important work will not find the audience it needs if that work is written in a way that is inaccessible to the people who need to read it. As someone who loves academic-speak and research, I am comfortable in this domain, but many, many people are not. Even so, I found her tone to be aloof and overly "functional."
Secondly, I found many sections of Tanu's work where she makes inferences about issues her adolescent subjects have, and nearly always attributes those issues to race and/or implicit colonial structures. While these are deeply embedded and arguably contribute to every aspect of an institution like a school, I would like to posit that Tanu regularly seems to forget that these are adolescents, dealing with adolescent problems. Many of the issues, concerns, conflicts, and problems she relays in her research -- often in painstaking detail -- are simply problems of teenagers being teenagers. They are the result of hormones and the lack of a fully formed pre-frontal cortex. YES, I one hundred percent agree that these problems exist in a context, and that context is Tanu's focus. But not all problems are *caused* by the context. In one section Tanu mentions a students' attire when going clubbing: "I noticed the irony of the fact that they were both showing cleavage in spaghetti strap dresses and low V-neck tops" and tries to explain this as an Indian-Indonesian student attempting to identify with the dominant Western culture of the school. There is a lot puzzling to me about that exchange, but my main takeaway has more to with the student in question being a 17-year-old.
Teenagers of all races, nationalities, and backgrounds will push boundaries and try to find out where they belong, making many mistakes in the process. This primary fact about the adolescent brain is one that Tanu never acknowledges. Further, at times when she describes and interprets what her teenaged subjects are saying (often with verbatim quotes), she does so with an assumption that they are as logical and fully formed in their thinking as adults. I imagine if I were one of the students represented in her work, I might be reading it now feeling a lot of "cringe" if for no other reason than as an adolescent, I did and said a lot of stupid things that don't make sense to the adult version of me.
Having said all of the above, I am supportive of Tanu's work and if nothing else, I really feel that more work like this is needed. International schools need a lot of improvement, and Tanu's work can be a starting point to that. How schools define themselves as "international" is problematic at the best of times. Her analogy to a Disneyland is accurate, from my experiences (6 international schools and counting!). The performative nature of "internationalism" continues to be pervasive, even in a post-George Floyd world. It is only going to get worse without some kind of serious introspective intervention.
Would I say this book is a must-read for international educators? No. Is it helpful? Well, that depends. If you are working as an educator in an international school based in Asia, it could be helpful. More specifically, certain sections of it might be helpful. If you are an educator outside of Asia, some of the specific parallels may not apply but the conclusions would.
I appreciated how Tanu draws the parallels from our globalized, capitalist, postcolonical world to the experiences and lives of transnational students. She ties this up neatly and cohesively in the conclusion, and I wish she made these parallels clearer in every chapter; in some chapters she connects these dots more clearly than in others. In drawing these parallels, she shines a light on our schools as microcosms. This is particularly resonant because some international schools see themselves as bubbles, whereby the values of "internationalism" are idealized. Many international schools believe they are immune to the effects of globalization, capitalism, and postcolonialism (not to mention racism!). Tanu's work demonstrates clearly that this is not possible.
However, I find problems in Tanu's work in a few different domains. One, her tone is far too academic at times. I understand that she is a researcher, and an academic. But her very important work will not find the audience it needs if that work is written in a way that is inaccessible to the people who need to read it. As someone who loves academic-speak and research, I am comfortable in this domain, but many, many people are not. Even so, I found her tone to be aloof and overly "functional."
Secondly, I found many sections of Tanu's work where she makes inferences about issues her adolescent subjects have, and nearly always attributes those issues to race and/or implicit colonial structures. While these are deeply embedded and arguably contribute to every aspect of an institution like a school, I would like to posit that Tanu regularly seems to forget that these are adolescents, dealing with adolescent problems. Many of the issues, concerns, conflicts, and problems she relays in her research -- often in painstaking detail -- are simply problems of teenagers being teenagers. They are the result of hormones and the lack of a fully formed pre-frontal cortex. YES, I one hundred percent agree that these problems exist in a context, and that context is Tanu's focus. But not all problems are *caused* by the context. In one section Tanu mentions a students' attire when going clubbing: "I noticed the irony of the fact that they were both showing cleavage in spaghetti strap dresses and low V-neck tops" and tries to explain this as an Indian-Indonesian student attempting to identify with the dominant Western culture of the school. There is a lot puzzling to me about that exchange, but my main takeaway has more to with the student in question being a 17-year-old.
Teenagers of all races, nationalities, and backgrounds will push boundaries and try to find out where they belong, making many mistakes in the process. This primary fact about the adolescent brain is one that Tanu never acknowledges. Further, at times when she describes and interprets what her teenaged subjects are saying (often with verbatim quotes), she does so with an assumption that they are as logical and fully formed in their thinking as adults. I imagine if I were one of the students represented in her work, I might be reading it now feeling a lot of "cringe" if for no other reason than as an adolescent, I did and said a lot of stupid things that don't make sense to the adult version of me.
Having said all of the above, I am supportive of Tanu's work and if nothing else, I really feel that more work like this is needed. International schools need a lot of improvement, and Tanu's work can be a starting point to that. How schools define themselves as "international" is problematic at the best of times. Her analogy to a Disneyland is accurate, from my experiences (6 international schools and counting!). The performative nature of "internationalism" continues to be pervasive, even in a post-George Floyd world. It is only going to get worse without some kind of serious introspective intervention.
December 31, 2024
Very bittersweet to read this book. Feeling especially rootless now more than halfway through college, having never really lived in my passport country and not really seeing a path to permanently return to the country I grew up in. One day I will probably have to move back and it will be a big cultural and linguistic adjustment, and reading this both validated and re-emphasized that fear. What a blessing and a curse it was to attend an international school for my whole life. This was a study done at another Southeast Asian school, so a lot of these dynamics felt familiar and I could see them reflected in my own experience.
January 31, 2023
As a teacher in international schools, I contend with the reality that I am a participant in continuing, modern-day colonization. I think it’s important to gain awareness, constantly educate myself, and take action to reduce harm. I appreciate the framework provided by the study conducted by this author. She claims and supports a thesis that, touting the concept of internationalism, international schools uphold a Eurocentric dominant culture and capitalist systems. I believe it is important to acknowledge this thesis and unpack the way inequalities are perpetuated. It is not easy to find community in this line of thinking, since this work requires examining the self in a position of complicity.
September 11, 2022
This book was a bit hard for me to go through given its quite technical nature but I found it very thorough in the research approach and honest in the way it relayed the findings.
April 5, 2019
This book would make a great undergraduate ethnography. Tanu covers a lot of good ground and incorporates the various Bourdieusian capitals (economic, social, cultural, and symbolic), among other things. She did a thorough ethnography with thoughtful analysis. For some reason, it just didn't really grab me, maybe because it's too close to my own experience, and yet also not.
September 17, 2023
I'll keep this quick: if you ever went to an international school (and particularly in Asia), this book will speak to you about your experience there like no book ever has or will.
The only reason it's not 5 stars for me is because it reads a little slow, and I prefer fiction. It's completely subjective.
The only reason it's not 5 stars for me is because it reads a little slow, and I prefer fiction. It's completely subjective.
October 14, 2021
Such an important read for international teachers!
Read
May 30, 2022Required reading for those teaching at an International School. Illuminating and troubling. Book club, anyone?
November 21, 2025
I picked this book up in hopes of better understanding certain frustrations that arise from my liminal identity as a transnational youth. I came out of the book feeling grateful for certain aspects of my liminality such as the cosmopolitan capital or “the economic privilege that makes this lifestyle possible” (p2).
A majority of the content was irrelevant to me as it focused on the politics of an Indonesian international school (though still interesting). However, one thing that conspicuously stood out to me was the striking similarity between the culture of this international school and the US boarding school I attended, such as the performative and superficial focus on diversity, the divided “Western” vs “Asian” student friends groups, etc.
This book is like a gold mine filled with amazing quotes and ideas. (Had to push through some repetitive/mediocre parts but it was worth the “gold”.) A particularly well-put point was on “the hidden curriculum”: “…by the make up of three institution, we are teaching this hidden agenda” (p99). “When the social structure is pegged to an economic structure, it becomes “part of the culture” and “daily experience”…it shapes the attitudes, interactions, and subjectivities” (p100).
I loved the use of the word “fragmentation” to describe the experiences of being a transnational youth: the fragmentation of one’s social network; the fragmentation of one’s shared history with others; the fragmentation of one’s lived experiences through geographic displacement; the fragmentation of one’s identity brought about by the anglicization of one’s name that compartmentalize the cultural worlds one operates in; etc.
A majority of the content was irrelevant to me as it focused on the politics of an Indonesian international school (though still interesting). However, one thing that conspicuously stood out to me was the striking similarity between the culture of this international school and the US boarding school I attended, such as the performative and superficial focus on diversity, the divided “Western” vs “Asian” student friends groups, etc.
This book is like a gold mine filled with amazing quotes and ideas. (Had to push through some repetitive/mediocre parts but it was worth the “gold”.) A particularly well-put point was on “the hidden curriculum”: “…by the make up of three institution, we are teaching this hidden agenda” (p99). “When the social structure is pegged to an economic structure, it becomes “part of the culture” and “daily experience”…it shapes the attitudes, interactions, and subjectivities” (p100).
I loved the use of the word “fragmentation” to describe the experiences of being a transnational youth: the fragmentation of one’s social network; the fragmentation of one’s shared history with others; the fragmentation of one’s lived experiences through geographic displacement; the fragmentation of one’s identity brought about by the anglicization of one’s name that compartmentalize the cultural worlds one operates in; etc.
November 26, 2021
I was looking forward to reading this book for our school’s summer equity team’s read and became quickly disappointed shortly in with the dry, uninspiring content. The author disparages international living as a child of mixed nationalities and ethnicities and resident of several host countries herself. Those of us discussing the book actually think she has a very low self esteem. She leaves no answers and has very poorly researched points that come across more as opinions than case study research. I don’t recommend this book to anyone and empathize with the Jarkarta community she poorly represented.
April 10, 2023
A phenomenal anthropolgical analysis of transnational youth and identity. Tanu unpacks why the concept of the "Third Culture Kid" is not sufficient enough to thoroughly explore the intersections of race, class, culture and gender in the identity formation of transnational youth, highlighting the expansiveness of this growing field and need for further investigation. While a bit dense at times, the poignancy through which Tanu shares her research makes this read worthwhile.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews