Navigating the ‘intermediate stage’: transnational mobility, transitions to adulthood and intergenerational relationships among PRC-born and Australian-born Chinese young people

Abstract

This thesis investigates the complex intersections between transnational mobility, youth transitions to adulthood and intergenerational relationships within Chinese transnational families. Focusing on young people born in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Australia-born Chinese (ABC), it examines how these individuals and their families navigate identity, grow up and transition, autonomy and independence, familial expectations and intergenerational relationships across transnational mobility. In an era of increasing global mobility, youth experiences are shaped not only by personal aspirations and structural conditions, but by deeply embedded family intergenerational dynamics. Drawing on ethnographic methods – complemented by semi-structured interviews, participant observation and photovoice – this thesis offers a multi-perspectival and intergenerational account of Chinese youth mobility and familial negotiation across China and Australia. This thesis addresses three key gaps in the literature. First, in the Australian context, scholarship on Chinese (PRC) migration is rich for international students, is largely centred on acculturation and typically middle-class cohorts. However, there is limited work on PRC young people from non-middle-class backgrounds; non-student temporary migrants (e.g., temporary graduate visas, working holiday schemes); and the mobility and identity formation of ABC young people in China. This thesis addresses these gaps through a comparative design that spans visa pathways and class positions: it includes international students, but importantly from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, alongside other temporary migrants. By examining multiple pathways within the Australia-China mobility nexus, the study identifies mechanisms that cut across status and class, rather than overgeneralising from a single subgroup. In conclusion, this thesis contributes new theoretical, empirical and methodological insights to the study of migration, family sociology and youth transitions. The intermediate stage offers a conceptual tool to understand the reciprocal, evolving nature of parent–child relationships across the life course and across borders. By situating youth mobility and transition within familial and cultural frameworks, this thesis challenges individualised and Western-centric models of transition and highlights the diversity of transnational Chinese family strategies. Methodologically, the research demonstrates the value of ethnographic, multi-method and reflexive approaches in capturing the lived experiences of intergenerational negotiation in global migration contexts. The thesis enriches our understanding of how Chinese families dynamically reconfigure tradition, obligation and modernity in an increasingly mobile and interconnected world.

Date of Thesis submission	2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Ann Dadich (Supervisor) & Shanthi Robertson (Supervisor)