Investigating the differential mobility experiences of Chinese cross-border students
Investigating the differential mobility experiences of Chinese cross-border students
Recent migration studies have adopted the lens of mobility to examine the stratifying effects of border policies, but few investigate the differential mobility of migrant families and children. This paper aims to contribute to the migration literature by considering the interplay between border policies, family configurations, and differential mobility. We apply the lens of differential mobility to the experiences of Chinese cross-border pupils – young child migrants with Hong Kong permanent residency who reside in Shenzhen, China, and cross the border to attend school. We begin by describing shifts in Hong Kong’s border and immigration policies since 1997, which have created a typology of families differentiated by mixed status, citizenship rights, and mobility. We then turn to four case studies of students with unequal border-crossing experiences to elucidate how border control constrains or promotes family mobility and perpetuates inequalities.
Publication date
2018
Journal title, volume/issue number, page range
Mobilities, 2018, Vol 13, No. 1, 142-156
ISSN
1745-011X
URL of article
Specialisation
Social Sciences
Theme
Society
Diasporas and Migration