Intercultural Experiences of Finnish Expatriate Children

Abstract

<p></p><p>International migration is a diverse and complex phenomenon. One of its contemporary<br />features is temporariness. Contemporary migration includes millions of shortterm<br />migrants involved with global working life, such as expatriates and their family<br />members (see, e.g., Ward & Kagitcibasi 2010). An expatriate is defined in this research<br />as an employee working temporarily abroad. Due to globalization, the number of internationally<br />mobile employees has increased worldwide (see, e.g., Warinowski 2011a).<br />As work goes global, more expatriates and their families are in transitions, either in<br />expatriation or repatriation.<br />This chapter discusses a study (see Warinowski 2012) that examined the consequences<br />of a global working life and international mobility in the lives of children of<br />Finnish expatriates. The study investigates expatriation and repatriation, caused by a<br />parent’s global work, as cultural transitions for the children. My aim in the study is to<br />understand the construction of children’s experiences in those cultural transitions.<br />Thus, this chapter contributes to migration research, childhood studies, and studies<br />on multicultural education.</p><p></p><p><br /></p>