Mother Tongue Intergenerational negotiations over language and identity among Chinese immigrants in Berlin Moedertaal – Intergenerationele onderhandelingen over taal en identiteit onder Chinese immigranten in Berlijn (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof.dr. H.R.B.M. Kummeling, ingevolge het besluit van het college voor promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op maandag 14 oktober 2019 des middags te 12.45 uur. door Jingyang Yu geboren op 6 oktober 1986 te Nanjing, China Promotor: Prof. dr. P.T. van der Veer ii © 2019 Jingyang Yu All rights reserved Cover Photo by Zhen Ma, with Teresa Printed by Drukkerij Haveka, Alblasserdam, the Netherlands iii iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... ix Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................... xi Korte Samenvatting ..................................................................................................................................... xii Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 Part One: Context .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Asian Americans: from “model minority” to “bamboo ceiling” ........................................................ 5 Asian immigrants in Germany ................................................................................................................. 7 Germany: a country of immigration? .................................................................................................... 10 Children of immigrants at German Schools ........................................................................................ 13 Learning a new land ................................................................................................................................ 15 Part Two: Theoretical framework ............................................................................................................. 17 Life of immigrants: boundary and assimilation ................................................................................... 17 Life between two worlds: acculturation ............................................................................................... 20 Life between two worlds: transnationalism ......................................................................................... 23 Chinese transnationalism and Chinese overseas ................................................................................. 24 The question of language in acculturation and transnationalism ..................................................... 31 Part Three: Language, community and relationality ............................................................................... 32 Language socialization ............................................................................................................................ 32 Bildung and Sprachsinn: a Humboldtian Tradition ................................................................................ 34 Humboldt, Boas and linguistic anthropology ...................................................................................... 36 Agency of children in language socialization ....................................................................................... 37 Scope and content of language socialization ....................................................................................... 40 Relation, understanding and acknowledgement – beyond language socialization? ....................... 41 Part Four: Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 43 Who are “Chinese immigrants” and what is “Chinese language”? .................................................. 43 Formation of the research and sites of fieldwork ............................................................................... 45 Part Five: Outline and arrangement of chapters ..................................................................................... 48 Intermezzo – ..................................................................................................................................................... 51 A brief history of Chinese Immigrants in Germany ................................................................................... 51 and the contemporary image of Chinese immigrants in German media ................................................. 51 v Part One: ....................................................................................................................................................... 51 A chronicle of Chinese in Germany and the trajectory of the contemporary immigrants ............... 51 A theatrical beginning to the tragic end of World War II ................................................................. 51 Post-war migration from China to Germany ...................................................................................... 55 Chinese students in Germany ................................................................................................................ 56 Chinese immigrants in Germany ........................................................................................................... 59 Part Two: ....................................................................................................................................................... 60 “The Chinese are coming”: public image of Chinese immigrants in German media ........................ 60 Chapter One – Think like a German ............................................................................................................ 65 The production of 100% pure German like mother tongue ............................................................. 66 From Tianjin to Greifswald: the journey of Family Feng ................................................................. 69 Comparison with Turkish immigrants in Germany ........................................................................... 72 GaP Primary School in Berlin ................................................................................................................ 74 A bilingual school of 100% private effort ............................................................................................ 77 Ms. JQ vs. “the Yellow Spies” ............................................................................................................... 80 A German dilemma for the Chinese immigrants ................................................................................ 83 “Change the fate of our children” ......................................................................................................... 85 The key to a better life ............................................................................................................................ 87 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 90 Chapter Two – Every Saturday morning is a war ....................................................................................... 93 How Ms. Dong violated “Human Rights” .......................................................................................... 94 Yizhi Chinese Culture School (Yizhi Chinesische Kulturschule) ..................................................... 95 Every Saturday morning is a war! .......................................................................................................... 97 Make-up, high heels, and salad diet ...................................................................................................... 99 Language Socialization ......................................................................................................................... 101 How it works in Germany ................................................................................................................... 105 Why aren’t my parents Germans? ...................................................................................................... 106 Anti-authoritarian education at school and a new partnership at home ...................................... 108 Alliance or Rivalry ................................................................................................................................ 109 Ascribing the Chinese membership ................................................................................................... 111 Backlash of implicit socialization ....................................................................................................... 113 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 115 vi Chapter Three – Become Christians to remain Chinese ......................................................................... 119 Chinese Protestant churches in Berlin ..............................................................................................