‘Sandwiched transmigrants’ : senior-middle 1 (SM1) scholars from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and their sense of attachment to Singapore

Abstract

With increased movements across the globe for education purposes, Singapore is a unique locale with government-sponsored scholarships for international students. Having a specific interest in the Senior-Middle 1 (SM1) scholarship for high school students from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), this paper explores the identity of SM1 scholars, with an interest to their sense of attachment to Singapore. Based in grounded theory and in-depth interviews, a narrative of the SM1 scholars’ experiences is presented. Through the conceptual framework of transnationalism, an original term ‘sandwich transmigrant’ is proposed to better address the group identity of the SM1 scholars, who find themselves negotiating between being a ‘Singaporean’ and ‘Chinese’ simultaneously. This state of being a ‘sandwich transmigrant’ is explored through the scholars’ affective connection to Singapore, and their support networks in both China and Singapore in a broader context of xenophobia. This paper hopes to contribute to the concept of transnationalism.