TCK is an acronym for Third Culture Kid which was coined by American sociologist and anthropologist Ruth Hill Useem. It is a term that is continually evolving. According to the TCKid Website, “A third culture kid is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture."
I've read elsewhere that to be considered a TCK, one must have lived in 2 or more countries outside of their passport country. It doesn't matter what your origin, it just means a person has been exposed and lived a substantial amount of time among different cultures as they grew up.
That is where the term "third culture" comes into play. Being that one's passport country is already a part of their culture and then integrating that with other multiple cultures a person lives in for a substantial amount of time creates this sort of "third culture".
According to Ruth E. Van Reken - the following is a list of descriptors for TCKs/CCKs
Traditional TCKs --Children who move into another culture with parents due to a parent’s career choice
Bi/multi-cultural/ and/or bi/multi-racial children —Children born to parents from at least two cultures or races
Children of immigrants —Children whose parents have made a permanent move to a new country where they were not originally citizens
Children of refugees —Children whose parents are living outside their original country or place due to unchosen circumstances such as war, violence, famine, other natural disasters
Children of minorities —Children whose parents are from a racial or ethnic group which is not part of the majority race or ethnicity of the country in which they live.
International adoptees —Children adopted by parents from another country other than the one of that child’s birth
“Domestic” TCKs —Children whose parents have moved in or among various subcultures within that child’s home country.
* Special note: Children are often in more than one of these circles at the same time. (e.g. A traditional TCK who is also from a minority group; a child of immigrants whose parents are from two different cultures, etc.) This helps us understand the growing complexity of the issues we face in our changing world .
Check out where all I've been by viewing my map below. I plan to fill the map up with a bunch more markers as soon as I have the chance!!!
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