Life stories of Swedish Third Culture Kids: 
                     Belonging and Identity 
                                  
                                  
                                By 
                       Henrik Wu 19790814-5175  
                     Rebecka Koolash 19830323-7146 
                                  
                           Malmö 2011-01-10 
           
           
           
           
          Supervisor: Maria Appelqvist 
          Examinator: Margareta Popoola 
           
          Malmö University, 
          Culture and Society, 
          International Migration and Ethnic Relations, 61-90 
           
                   Henrik Wu & Rebecka Koolash                                                    IM103E, 2011 
                   Abstract 
                       Everyday lives of Swedish Third Culture Kids (TCK) are characterized by their 
                   experiences of living among worlds. As the Swedish TCKs return to Sweden they try to 
                   find a sense of who they are and where they belong. This thesis examines the effects of 
                   growing up among cultures in connection to identity and belonging. The purpose is to 
                   understand how TCKs perceive themselves and their identity and how this affects their 
                   sense of belonging. The thesis is based on a multiple case study, which examines the 
                   life stories of eleven TCKs who all have lived abroad and now returned to Sweden. The 
                   research  design  was  based  on  a  review  of  the  literature  on  TCKs  and  Adult  Third 
                   Culture Kids (ATCKs), covering issues such as sense of belonging and identity. Within 
                   this  context  we  discuss;  nationalism, home, traditions and language. First hand data 
                   were gathered through a questionnaire and in-depth semi-structured interviews were 
                   conducted. Later links between the available literature and the personal experiences of 
                   the TCKs’ were developed. The result of our research is that belonging for a TCK is to 
                   know  who  they  are  as  a  unique  person  and  they  find  a  sense  of  home  in  their 
                   relationships with family and friends rather than a place. 
                        
                   Key words: Identity, Third Culture Kids, nationalism, language, traditions, Sweden 
                    
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                   Henrik Wu & Rebecka Koolash                                                    IM103E, 2011 
                    
                   Sammanfattning 
                       Svenska Third Culture Kid (Tredje Kultur Barn) påverkas vardagligen utav deras 
                   erfarenheter av att leva i olika världar. När TCKs återvänder till Sverige söker de efter 
                   svar på vem de är och var de tillhör. Denna uppsats undersöker effekterna av att växa 
                   upp i olika kulturer i relation till identitet och tillhörighet. Syftet är att förstå hur TCKs 
                   uppfattar  sig  själva  och  deras  identitet  och  hur  detta  påverkar  deras  känsla  av 
                   tillhörighet.  Den  här  uppsatsen  är  baserad  på  multipla  fallstudier  som  undersöker 
                   livshistorier från elva TCKs som alla levt utomlands och nu har återvänt till Sverige. 
                   Studien  är  baserad  på  befintlig  litteratur  om  TCKs  och  Vuxna  Tredje  Kultur  Barn 
                   (ATCKs), där vi sedan behandlar problem som känsla av tillhörighet och identitet, där 
                   vi  diskuterar  nationalism,  hemmet,  traditioner  och  språket.  Första-hands  information 
                   samlades  ihop  dels  genom  ett  frågeformulär  och  dels  genom  att  semi-strukturerade 
                   djupintervjuer  utfördes.  Sedan  länkades  tillgänglig  litteratur  och  TCKs’  personliga 
                   erfarenheter ihop och utvecklades. Resultatet av vår undersökning är att tillhörighet för 
                   en TCK är att veta vem de är som en unik person och de finner en känsla av hem i deras 
                   relation med familj och vänner snarare än en plats. 
                        
                   Nyckelord: Identitet, Tredje Kultur Barn, nationalism, språk, traditioner, Sverige 
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                   Henrik Wu & Rebecka Koolash                                                    IM103E, 2011 
                   Acknowledgement 
                    This thesis became a reality because of the support we received from many individuals 
                               and it is a pleasure to thank those who made this thesis possible. 
                      First, we must thank each and every TCK and ATCK who has shared his or her life 
                      story with us. We really appreciate the time and willingness that you set apart to be 
                   interviewed. We also want to thank you for your openness and honesty that you showed 
                    through the interviews. We really enjoyed interviewing you and there would have been 
                                    no thesis if it were not for you so thank you very much! 
                           We are also greatly thankful to our supervisor, Maria Appelqvist, whose 
                     encouragement, guidance and support from the initial to the final level enabled us to 
                     develop an understanding of the subject. Anyone who writes on third culture kids is 
                    automatically in David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken´s debt for their book Third 
                   Culture Kids: the Experience of Growing up among Worlds (1999, 2009). Without their 
                   well-written books this topic would not have been thought of. We would also like to say 
                      many thanks to Kristen Clarberg for proof reading this thesis during her Christmas 
                                                            holiday. 
                      Our final words of gratitude go to a supporting wife, Eva Guan, and husband, Kam 
                            Koolash, for their love, encouragement and understanding. Thank you! 
                    
                                                                Henrik Wu & Rebecka Koolash, 2011-01-10 
                    
                    
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