Chapter 8

Asian Third Culture Kids: Growing Up in Malaysia

by Abeer Yusuf and Batul Mohsinali

Abstract

This chapter seeks to describe how individuals who are raised in a country which is not that of their parents’ origin and not that of their passport understand their identities and what constitutes home for them. Such individuals, who have been described as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), may have difficulties in this regard as a result of their ‘betwixt-and-between’ status – that is, the position of not being of their country of residence, and yet, often not feeling as if they belong to the country of their passport. This chapter seeks to examine the experiences of Asian TCKs, particularly those who have spent time in or come from Malaysia. By focusing particularly, though not exclusively, on two case study TCKs, this chapter draws out some of the principal factors that contribute to and shape the way TCKs view themselves and where they feel they belong.