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Third, Fourth, or Fifth Culture Individuals?: Defining Belonging as a Complex-Culture Individual in the UAE
Abstract
Third Culture individuals (TCIs), also known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), are individuals who live in a country that is not the respective countries of their parents or ancestors. Yet, the complexity arises when it comes to individuals living in the UAE. Given the general multiculturality of the UAE, TCIs often have a different experience given the exposure to varying cultures and beliefs daily. As a result of the multicultural nature of the UAE and their lives, does it complexify being Third-Cultured? What about mixed-ethnicity TCIs and their experiences? What about TCIs who have moved and lived in numerous other countries before coming to the UAE and who hold more than two passports? Would they be considered third, fourth, or fifth-cultured individuals? This paper explores the sense of belonging and understanding of home that multi-cultural Complex Culture Individuals experience in the UAE. Thereby, the paper employs a qualitative approach through the form of 15 semi-structured interviews with individuals from mixed-cultured TCIs who live within UAE through snowball sampling. In previous TCI literature, the study demographic has been majorly focused on teenagers or young adults. Hence, this project widens that perspective as it currently aiming to interview complex TCIs from various generations ranging from those in their early twenties to those in their 60s. This participant group includes but is not limited to those who are mixed ethnicity, who have lived elsewhere and then moved to the UAE, who have grown up their entire lives in the UAE, or simply who have two or more passports. Identity is a very complex topic of discussion, especially considering the various influences that religions, beliefs, cultures, and childhood can all have on said identity construction. Thereby, while previous studies have been made about TCIs across the globe, particularly in the West, this paper will present a more unique approach by engaging with TCIs that come from unique backgrounds. Hence, ethnographic qualitative methods will be the means of gathering data about mixed-cultured TCIs in the UAE. In focusing on the unique livelihoods of Complex Culture Individuals, this paper was able to explore how belonging is the sum of religion, family-importance, culture, environment, and language combined at varying degrees.
Discipline
Sociology
Geographic Area
UAE
Sub Area
None