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Sha Wang

PhD in Social Anthropology (third year)

Research Title:  ‘The Future of Chinese Families Abroad -- An Ethnography of Chinese Students at Chinese Language Schools in Northern Ireland’.

Start date: Feb 2010

Research Project

The group of people I am focusing on are second and third generations of the Chinese migration here in Northern Ireland. I am looking at their degree of maintenance of Chinese culture, mainly through the Chinese language learning, and some other culture-related classes, activities or events, thus to explore these young people’s identity formation and dual identities. I’d like to know how do the second and third generations of Chinese migration here think about the Chinese culture and its language, and also their parents’ opinions on it and towards their children’s education about it. The main questions of my research are: what are Chinese young people’s ideas about Chinese culture and their origins--China, their sense of belonging, their struggle between Chinese and Northern Irish identities, or even the conflicts among those who hold different points of view? To what extent do children’s experiences in the Chinese Language School inform or shape their identities? What is their parents’ effect on this?

Contact details:
swang10@qub.ac.uk
0754 208 7081