Giving Voice to Third Culture Kids
新島学園高等学校

２年

小幡理

愛Have you ever heard of the expression, “Third Culture Kids”? According
to American sociologist David Pollock, a third culture kid is “a person whohas spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside theparents’ culture.” Third culture kids can easily relate to the parents’ culture
and another culture in which they lived, but they don’t have the full sense ofbelonging in any culture. For example, I myself am a third culture kid. I firstgrew up in a Japanese culture, which is my first culture. Then I lived in theUS between the ages of 7 and 13 and learned my second culture. Finally,
when I came back to Japan I found myself in another space, a third culture,
which is a blend of the two cultures but not a simple sum of both. I often
find myself easier to relate to others who live in a third culture, regardless ofwhat their first and second cultures may be. If you look around, there might
be an increasing number of third culture kids in today’s Japan. As we arecultural backgrounds, I believe it is important to recognize the presence ofthird culture kids and effectively utilize them in ways that benefit all.
When talking about third culture kids, it is significant for us to knowwhat makes a third culture kid so unique. How are they different fromreturnees, or who are commonly called “kikoku-shijo”in Japan? Returnees andthird culture kids can be similar, but they are often different. Being a returnee
does not necessarily mean that one would develop the three distinct cultures.
The children of many Japanese families tend to attend Japanese schools andlive within Japanese communities when living in foreign countries for a limited
period of time. Under such circumstances, Japanese children would mostly
retain their Japanese cultural identities. Third culture kids would immersethemselves in several cultures for an extended amount of time during theirdevelopmental years. As a result, they would cultivate their own unique andunstable sense of identity that is the third culture.

63

高校生―Ｉ部門

talking about the new challenge of living harmoniously with people of diverse

Third culture kids have advantages. The advantages include their ability
to view the world more differently and more globally. Also, because third
culture kids are not tied to just one identity, they’re typically non-judgmentalof others. They don’t just base their thoughts off of their home culture but
incorporate another culture with it, so that they could have a wider view ofwhat the world really looks like. Another precious merit of being a third
culture kid is the ability to communicate information globally. Since third
culture kids are used to moving and familiar with handling difficulties at eachplace they visit, intercultural communications can go smoothly with the global
knowledge and experience inside them.
Of course, being a third culture kid can involve difficulties in severalways. Most of all, there is an identity issue. Third culture kids would have a
hard time fitting in anywhere because of their lack of solid cultural identity.
This identity issue can result in a more serious psychological issue ofrestlessness, which in turn diminishes the advantages of third culture kids. I
too, am still having such problems, even after living in Japan for three years
since I came back from the US. I didn’t feel like I completely fit in with myfriends in the US. After moving back to Japan and talking with my Japanese
高校生―Ｉ部門

friends, I still feel uncomfortable at times. Sometimes I start to question
myself, “Where is my place in this world? What will my role be?” I believe
this world would feel much more secure for third culture kids like me if morepeople start realizing the advantages and challenges that a third culture kid
holds within themselves. Their merits cannot become effective unless boththird culture kids and the society recognize these identity and psychologicalissues.
In Japan we are anticipating to have more foreigners coming to live in thecountry. At least some of them would bring their children. Our society needs
to find ways to live harmoniously with foreigners, and we must not forgetthat their children have their own unique issues. It’s not just about Japan.
With the mounting globalism in today’s world, it is expected that the numberof third culture kids will continue to increase rapidly. Third culture kids who
are already in Japan can provide a new avenue of connecting with thirdculture kids who will be coming to Japan. As such, third culture kids can be64

great assets in the global community. But first, you must recognize theconcept and the presence of third culture kids. Furthermore, it is important tounderstand their challenges so that there will be a better environment forthem to display their full potential. So, give voice to third culture kids.

高校生―Ｉ部門65