VMP Magazine
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M.I.A.’s Attempt To Decolonize Pop
In the 1950s, American sociologist Ruth Hill Useem coined the term “third culture kid.” Back then, it was intended as a descriptor for the children of Americans who had moved abroad. In the years since, however, the phrase has become more broadly used as an umbrella for the kids of migrants, caught in a tussle between the cultures of “home” and “host.”
Studies showed that those who fall within this group might struggle with forming their own cultural identity, which could lead to disorientation and low self-esteem. Indeed, former British Prime Minister Theresa May famously said in a speech at the Conservative Party Conference in 2016: “If you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere.”
But this isn’t exactly true: Third culture kids are often found to be especially adept at building relationships with other cultures. With a wide worldview, magpie-like, we pick out things that please us. We thread throughlines between our similarities, rather than exaggerating our differences, creating nests out of joyous hybrids and fusions.
