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What does it mean to belong when the places you root yourself in stretch across continents? For third-culture kids, especially those who are Asian American, the journey of self-discovery is filled with rich experiences and profound challenges that shape who they are.
I talked to Jon Kung, a Chinese American chef and podcaster; Cindy Chen, an avant-garde makeup artist and TikTok personality; and Winnie Gu, a webcomic creator. All three of these third-culture kids shared how their unique upbringings shaped their perspectives as Asian Americans and creatives.
What is a Third-Culture Kid?
The term “third-culture kid” was coined by American sociologist Ruth Useem in the 1950s to describe American children who grew up abroad due to their parents being expats, diplomats, or in the military, for example. Because their home life reflected American culture, while outside the house, they were exposed to a different culture, these children developed a “third culture” that was a blend of the two they were exposed to.
Today, third-culture kids can most easily be defined as people born into one culture and raised in another. Chen told me that the resulting third culture is not just a mixture of the two cultures but is also layered with personal experience.
What that has been shown to do to people who grew up this way is that it gave them a greater sense of empathy. It helped them with their communication skills.
There are debates as to whether children of immigrants or who are immigrants themselves are considered third-culture kids. Kung says that the definition is more fluid and can encompass those who are adopted or live in multicultural households. While Gu believes that there are similarities between the experiences of children of immigrants, the experience of third-culture kids — and the adults they become — is not quite…
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