Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Frontiers in Sociology
Publication Date
11-13-2024
Abstract
This study delves into the lives of transnational families in the UAE, exploring their complex identities using a visual research approach known as the Collage Life Elicitation Technique (CLET). Both the topic and the methodology are framed within a theoretical lens of Verstehen (understanding) with a view to further exploring the lives of transnational families in the context of a pragmatic phenomenology and within the setting of the UAE as a rentier state. The lives of families such as these are characterized by a cross-cultural lifestyle, high mobility and expected repatriation. This paper presents narratives of eight transnational families in the UAE as expressed by the mother of each family unit, and seeks to expand on how these mothers view the identity of their families as expatriates living in the UAE. Findings indicate that these families navigate an intricate world where they are neither entirely of their host country nor of their passport country. The family unit plays a pivotal role in these families’ lives, acting as a bridge between their host culture and their home culture, serving as a nucleus for their evolving identities.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Frontiers
Volume
9
First Page
1497479
Last Page
1497479
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Keywords
Transnational families, Third culture kids, Collage Life Elicitation Technique, Cultural identity, Expatriate experience
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Dillon, Anna Marie and Ali, Tabassim, "Collage-based narratives of mothers of third culture kids: the in-between space of transnational families in the UAE" (2024). All Works. 6963.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/6963
Indexed in Scopus
no
Open Access
yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series