What is a Third Culture Kid?
“A third culture kid is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. The third culture kid builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the third culture kid’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of the same background, other TCKs.”... (more)
Dr. Ruth Hill Useem
Empirical Research
1940-1942 Co-Director with John Useem of a WPA project on the social, cultural, economic adjustment of "full bloods" and "mixed bloods" on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation of South Dakota.
1950-1952 Research consultant to a National Institute of Mental Health study of the mental health of middle management men in a retail store, a government bureaucracy and an automobile manufacturing company in Michigan.
1952-1953 Co-Director with John Useem on an Edward W. Hazen supported study of western-educated (British and American) Indians in the State of Bon-bay, India.
1958 Co-Director with John Useem on an Edward W. Hazer. supported study of the roles of Americans (diplomats, business men, technical aid personnel, missionaries) in 17 centers in India
1968-1975 Co-director with John Useem on an Edward W. Hazen/Philippine National Science Development Board / Ford Foundation / Michigan State University International Studies and Programs supported research on the scientific community of the Philippines
1952-1986 Supported by the Institute of International Studies in Education and Center for International Studies and Programs of Michigan State University, made field observations on expatriate communities, overseas schools and third culture children in: EAST ASIA (South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong); SOUTHEAST ASIA (Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia); SOUTH ASIA (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan); MIDDLE EAST (Afghanistan. Iran, Kuwait, Jordon, Lebanon); AFRICA (Egypt, Morocco, Canary Islands, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana. Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya. Senegal. Liberia, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Togo, Zambia); EUROPE (Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey. Austria); UNITED STATES (Washington, D.C., New York, East Lansing).
If you have information about her researches after 1986, please add a comment at the end of this page or write to the webmaster: mairabay at tckid.com. Thank you!
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