Scaling and the formation of borderland subjectivities: A study of identity construction among Chinese international students in the United States

Abstract

Based on two representative cases drawn from a larger multi-sited ethnographic project, this study examines the process of identity construction among Chinese international students in the U.S.A., focusing on how the students (re)negotiate their subject positions vis-à-vis their home and host societies. Building on a conceptualization of the students as borderland subjects, the study brings to the fore a critical and creative state of in-betweenness characterizing the positioning of the students, putting into question the paradigm of adjustment and adaption that has long dominated research on international student migration (ISM). To unveil the subtleties behind the students’ formation of borderland subjectivities, the study draws on the notion of scale. By examining the scaling practices of the students, the study provides a nuanced account of how the students discursively index and connect multiple spatial–temporal contexts to guide their journey toward becoming borderland subjects. By combining the notion of scale with the borderland trope, the study sheds light on an emerging avenue of research that aims to uncover the transformative and fluid underpinnings of ISM.