The making of transnational distinction : an embodied cultural capital perspective on Chinese women students’ mobility

Zhang, Siqi and Xu, Cora Lingling (2020) The making of transnational distinction : an embodied cultural capital perspective on Chinese women students’ mobility. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 41 (8). pp. 1251-1267. ISSN 1465-3346 (https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2020.1804836)

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Abstract

Transnational distinction is highly relevant in an age when western degree inflation intersects with harsh gender expectations for Chinese women student migrants, a significant group of players in the scene of UK higher education. Drawing on participant observation and interview data and building on existing theories of cultural capital, this article explores how 25 Chinese women students constructed 'transnational distinction'. Through investigating how newly acquired embodied cultural capital during mobility contributed to the construction of distinction, we argue such distinction is manifested through participants' cognisance of field-specific rules. Their understanding of the complex racial/ethnic and class fabrics of the British society impelled them to be creative in constructing their distinction, particularly seeking diverse peer reference groups. This adds to the extant literature through demonstrating that purposeful comparison and connections can be made across home, host and other destinations, in the women students' quest for transnational distinction.

  • Item type:Article
    ID code:87631
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    14 September 2020
    Published
    30 July 2020
    Accepted
    24 August 2019
    Submitted
    Notes:© 2020 informa uK limited, trading as taylor & francis group Siqi Zhang & Cora Lingling Xu (2020) The making of transnational distinction: an embodied cultural capital perspective on Chinese women students’ mobility, British Journal of Sociology of Education, 41:8, 1251-1267, DOI: 10.1080/01425692.2020.1804836 This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in British Journal of Sociology of Education on 14 Sep 2020, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2020.1804836
    Subjects:Social Sciences
    Education
    Department:Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > Strathclyde Institute of Education > Education
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:14 Dec 2023 13:38
    Last modified:27 Apr 2024 13:36
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/87631
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