Experiences of Polish and American Third Culture Kids in a comparative perspective

In its over 50 years of history, the term "Third Culture Kids" (or TCKs) has proven to be a very attractive and important label for highly mobile youth and expatriates’ children, but without gaining popularity in mainstream migration studies. After Ruth Hill Useem coined the term, she inspired several (mostly unpublished) dissertations at Michigan University and conducted a survey with Ann Baker Cottrell on American TCKs who had returned to the United States (Cottrell, 2002). Then, in the 1990s, the popularity of the concept increased after the release of the book entitled Third Culture Kids written by David Pollock and Ruth van Reken (the “Bible”, as some of my interview partners call it). Another factor that contributed to its spread is the Internet, with the website tckid.com and especially Facebook. Nevertheless, the term is recognized by TCKs mainly in the United States and South East Asia,1 and approached rather suspiciously by researchers all over the world.