Inbetweenness: identity reconstruction of older Chinese migrants in the transnational context

Li, Wendy Wen

Abstract

Introduction: Older Chinese immigrants are one of the largest ethnic ageing groups in New Zealand. However, their everyday experiences of settling in a new and unfamiliar environment have been largely overlooked. This paper explored the biographies, identities and everyday experiences older Chinese migrants. Method: The research was informed by a narrative approach. Three waves of interviews were conducted with 32 older Chinese immigrants to New Zealand. Results: Findings revealed that Older Chinese immigrants did often experience biographical disruptions and status discrepancies when they moved from China to New Zealand. However, in response, the participants engaged in positive activities such as gardening, art and local and transnational community activities as a means of cultivating a new sense of self in a new land that was compatible with their existing identities as older Chinese adults. Conclusion: Living between China and New Zealand, between homes and between languages, the participants do not merely insert or incorporate themselves into existing spaces in New Zealand; they also create 'inbetweenness' where they experience multiple identities which unify nearness and remoteness, here and there.

Journal

Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging

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Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging

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1760-4788

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Issue

Supplement 1

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Publisher

Springer

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