Transnational Kinscription: A Case of Parachute Kids in the USA and Their Parents in Taiwan

Abstract

This study uses ‘parachute kids’ in the USA and their parents in Taiwan as a case study to examine how cross-border kinship networks shape child-rearing strategies. The author argues that cross-border kin ties activated by parents are central to understanding the familial and cultural belonging of their children who are sent to study abroad. Drawing on 40 interviews with parachute kids and their parents, the author uses the concept of ‘transnational kinscription’ to demonstrate how non-migrant parents reconfigure kinship ideologies and relations to raise the next generation across borders. This article also highlights how parachute kids' emotional responses to growing up in their relatives' households often offset or even invalidate their parents' efforts to establish multiple homes transnationally.