Page 8 - ADU Voice Volume 3 Issue 2
P. 8
08 voice · FALL 2023
Between
Two Worlds
Navigating the complexities
of cultural identity in second-
generation immigrants and
third culture children
WRITTEN BY AISHA SIDDIQUI (1093991)
have spent exactly half of my life as a culture kids are SGI’s, but not all SGI’s are
second-generation immigrant (SGI) and third culture children. The reason this dif-
I the other half as a third culture child. ference is notable is because having third
Due to my unique circumstances, the ques- culture exposure adds to a child’s sense of
tion “Where are you from?” is difficult to identity.
answer. Eighteen years ago, I was born in
The United States of America to two Pakistani For SGI’s and third culture children, passport
immigrant parents, and when I was nine countries and childhood countries are con-
years old, we moved to The United Arab trollable, whereas your parents’ origins are
Emirates. Currently, I am living in the UAE not. For both children, the culture of their
as a third culture child. parents’ ethnic background is the only stable
form of identity. This creates a sense of inclu-
A third culture child is a classification given sion in the culture and traditions of the ethnic
to an SGI living in a country that is not their group, allowing them to view their culture
passport country, nor the one their par- as a source of unity and stability. This fixed
ents are native to. This means that all third form of identity serves as a foundation for
