Transnationalism describes the ways in which ties between two or more nations are maintained; these ties abound in social practices that are, at times, situated within rigid governing structures. It also includes distinct ways of knowing that are informed by social media, loved ones, and cultural practices that span borders. The transnational social spaces in which youth are raised are often filled with deep understandings of geopolitical contexts that weave together multiple national perspectives, personal navigation of physical borders both with and without authorized documentation , and complex social networks in more than one country sustained through ever-changing media applications.
However, these knowledges often remain unengaged in and underacknowledged by schools. The disciplines of sociology and anthropology have informed much of the research on transnationalism, although from different standpoints. The unfortunate result is that the focus on how immigrants assimilate misses the opportunity to interpret and perhaps misinterprets a larger set of accompanying phenomena alongside the immigration act.
For education, transnational experiences can help students develop a sense of identity, which in turn helps them achieve in the school settings of both receiving and sending countries, should they have to return.
Similarly, transnationalism complicates and makes notions of citizenship more robust. Immigrant students are always potentially engaged transnationals during their settlement processes—the possibility exists that they will remain actively connected to their home countries and even potentially return for visits or permanently.
Educational research has more recently examined how transnationalism helps create and can deepen literacy practices, especially digital literacies. This can help prepare all students for an increasingly globalized world. You do not currently have access to this article.
