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Growing and Becoming: The Expanded Self

  • Lily Lei YeEmail author
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Part of the Palgrave Studies on Chinese Education in a Global Perspective book series (CEGP)

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the impact of studying abroad on participants’ self-identity. The discussion will highlight how the participants interpreted their intercultural experiences in the UK and which issues they identified as significant to their self-definition. Bourdieuian concepts of habitus, capital and field will complement Giddens’ reflexive project of the self in interpreting the findings. Students’ narratives illustrate the various ways in which they negotiate the new intercultural field and forge their life trajectories. Significantly, these narratives move us away from the focus on student adaption to an exploration of agency and identity. The analysis suggests that the participants have actively dealt with the challenges of study abroad, accumulated various forms of capital and achieved personal growth and development.

Keywords

Reflexive Project Personal growthPersonal Growth habitusHabitus Personal developmentPersonal Development Yuanyuan 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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© The Author(s) 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Beijing Institute of Fashion TechnologyBeijingChina

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