‘Are you Chinese?’ An Ethnographic Study of Chinese Students in Cyprus
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This chapter attempts to explore major discourses of mobility and identity involved in transnational student migration in a multicultural society. This research is based on an ethnographic fieldwork conducted from 2005 to 2010 among Chinese migrant students in Cyprus. In order to capture a holistic picture of their migration stories, both China and Cyprus will serve as continuous reference points. In China, internal social, political and most importantly economic forces since 1978 have played a pivotal role in encouraging large scale of young people to migrate. Meanwhile, away from China, differences in migration polices within EUcountries have made Southern and Eastern European countries the new gateway for immigrants in Europe. In this context, Cyprus presents itself as an attractive destination for Chinese students through its highly commercialized educational institutions which thrive mainly on international students. Hence, these institutions become the easy entry to the dreamland of Europe for most of the aspiring Chinese immigrants. The focus of the study remains on how these foreign students influence the Cypriot educational and economic landscape in the process of Europeanization. Their transnational experiences create new and more complex social perceptions and cultural identities for both Chinese young adults and Cypriot inhabitants.