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Obama's 'Third Culture' Team
Obama has packed his staff with so-called “Third Culture Kids”—people who grew up outside the U.S. New research suggests this group shares common psychological traits that could shape his administration.
John Quincy Adams lived in France, and young Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited Europe often enough to master French and German, but Barack Obama is the first modern American president to have spent some of his formative years outside the United States. It is a trait he shares with several appointees to the new administration: White House advisor Valerie Jarrett was a child in Tehran and London, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was raised in east Africa, India, Thailand, China and Japan as the son of a Ford Foundation executive, and National Security Advisor James L. Jones was raised in Paris. (Also, Bill Richardson, tipped as Secretary of Commerce, grew up in Mexico City.)
This is more than a trivial coincidence. So-called “Third Culture Kids”—and the adults they become”—share certain emotional and psychological traits that may exert great influence in the new administration. According to a body of sociological literature devoted to children who spend a portion of their developmental years outside their “passport country,” the classic profile of a “TCK” is someone with a global perspective who is socially adaptable and intellectually flexible. He or she is quick to think outside the box and can appreciate and reconcile different points of view. Beyond whatever diversity in background or appearance a TCK may bring to the party, there is a diversity of thought as well.
“Third Culture Kids” share certain emotional and psychological traits that may exert great influence in the new administration.
But TCKs can also feel rootless and detached. The great challenge for maturing Third Culture Kids is to forge a sense of personal and cultural identity from the various environments to which they been exposed. Barack Obama’s memoir, Dreams of My Father, could serve as a textbook in the TCK syllabus, a classic search for self-definition, described in living color. Obama’s colleagues on the Harvard Law Review were among the first to note both his exceptional skill at mediating among competing arguments and the aloofness that made his own views hard to discern. That cool manner of seeming “above it all” is also a classic feature of the Third Culture Kid.
The TCKs’ identity struggles can be painful and difficult. The literature documents addictive behaviors, troubled marriages and fitful careers. But meeting this challenge can become a TCK’s greatest strength. Learning to take the positive pieces from a variety of experiences and create a strong sense of “This is who I am, no matter where I am” gives a steadiness when the world around is in flux or chaos”—which helps explain “no-drama Obama.”
Among those of us who study Third Culture Kids (almost always because we are TCKs), it has been both gratifying and frustrating to watch “one of us” run for the White House. We began obsessively pointing out to each other the telltale signifiers of the TCK that so often went unremarked in the mainstream press.
“I laughed when I heard a commentator call Barack exotic and elitist,” says Lois Bushong, an American who grew up in Costa Rica and now works a therapist for internationally mobile families. “How exotic or elitist can it be to go home to visit your grandmother, even if she lives in Hawaii? She’s still your grandma. This TV guy seemed to forget that the world many see ‘exotic’ is simply home for TCKs.”
But we also despaired when his opponents denigrated the importance of Obama’s childhood in Indonesia and Hawaii. “How can they say his international childhood doesn’t count when it comes to foreign affairs?” sputtered my friend and colleague, Paulette Bethel. “That’s just crazy. Barack’s been negotiating between cultural worlds since the day of his birth. No one will have to teach him this skill. It’s already second nature to him!”
Bethel feels vindicated by the collection of strong personalities that Obama has invited into the new administration. “He’s lived with so many differences around him in his lifetime, they don’t threaten him anymore,” she says.
In 1984, Dr. Ted Ward, then a sociologist at Michigan State University, called TCKs “the prototype citizens of the future,” anticipating a time when a childhood lived in various cultures would be the norm rather than the exception. It seems that time is now.
And the characteristics derived from an expat childhood may be well suited to the challenges facing the new administration. The economic crisis, for one, demonstrates how interdependent world cultures have become, and its solution will undoubtedly require the unconventional thinking that comes more easily to a Third Culture Kid. Even though Tim Geithner is not an economist by training, he apparently demonstrated such a keen problem-solving skills in the financial arena that the stock market jumped 500 points on the news of his appointment. Returning to Japan as an adult and speaking the language he learned as a child have given him an unusually deep understanding of the global economy.
As TCKs, we have had the joy, and the challenge, of being raised in many places and cultures. Now we get to see whether the values of the TCK can be a force for good on the world stage.
Ruth E. Van Reken is a second generation adult TCK and mother of 3 ATCKs. She speaks nationally and internationally on issues related to global family living. She is co-founder of Families in Globlal Transition. In addition to other writing, Ruth is co-author of Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds.
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Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
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This is a great piece. This is info I have never heard. Remember when the sun never set on the British Empire and the English Aristocracy was made up of many TCK's. I am bookmarking this for future reference.
Really--Good Job.
Having lived half of my adult life outside of the states, first in Austria, then China, and now Mexico, I think it is safe to say that it is not just children who share those traits. I think every American, child or adult, should spend at least a few years of their life outside of America. The only difficulties in being an expat adult is that language acquistion is more difficult, my nuerons just don't fire the way they used to.
Excellent points. We have lived abroad and our four children had powerful expat experiences at a young age...foremost among them, understanding/hearing what their schoolmates thought of 'America' and Americans. When one learns as a small child that perception and reality can be very different, and that perception can indeed 'trump' reality with uncommon regularity...one can understand how critical it is that we now have President Elect Obama to represent America abroad instead of the Bush Cowboy that alienated so many. If only every American could have the expat experience of looking from 'the outside in' we'd be in a much stronger and worthy position within our global community.
And there's more! While the following Obama appointees aren't technically Third Culture Kids, they likely learned about intercultural issues and how to take someone else's perspective at an early age:
- Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel's father was born in Israel.
- Attorney General-to-be Eric Holder's father and maternal grandparents were born in Barbados
-White House Counsel-to-be Greg Craig's father was the first Director of Training in the Peace Corps
-Secretary of Health and Human Services-pick Tom Daschle's grandparents were ethnic Germans from Russia
Finally someone is on to the TCK factor! Per the article, have been avidly following Obama's journey, having recognized a fellow TCK-A (adult), growing up in the U.S., Lebanon, Turkey and Kenya. Since his election, have also watched with interest his key appointments, many of whom are also TCKAs. Great article, have forwarded to my sister who now lives in Viet Nam.
This is an excellent piece. I am a TCK too and I understand this analysis to the core. Besides being a TCK, I speak three languages, and that enables me to zoom straight to solutions in the face of problems. The word impossible does not exist in my dictionary. I support our President-elect one hundred percent and I believe that he will study and avoid mistakes of the past as he and his team seek solutions to our present and future problems. I wrote so many letters to TV anchors and pundits in his defence during the campaign. For example, they tried to derail his candidacy with the charge that he was palling around with Ayers. I asked them this question: If he were palling around with terrorists as charged, and he had not bombed America nor killed anyone, did that not mean that he has an incorruptible character? Rather than see the strength in peolple, they concoct lies to satisfy their whims. I guess they now know whom he pals around with- The greatest minds!
It's so wonderful to share a similar history with the President-elect (I was a diplomat kid, now raising two TCKs of my own).
It's high time this unique demographic started coming out of the woodwork and start being recognized for the qualities and gifts we bring to people around us, who may not have had such a global experience. My family and I will be cheering Obama and his team as they stand poised to impact the world at large.
Having lived abroad for 22 years, returning to CA was a shock. So many albeit well-travelled friends seemed unsophisticated in their tastes and experiences. And the contrast between the world service and NPR is remarkable. Mr. Obama may draw upon experience and observations which President Bush could never have done. Great article. Thanks.
I gotta agree with the others here who say this is a well written, well researched piece.
The angle of "TCK" is new to me, and although it's going to freak quite a few people out, it's something that even they should keep in mind as Obama makes his decisions.
The Daily Beast needs more articles like this!
Hear hear. I've been commenting about this for some time on blogs, as a TCK (love the term) myself. The value of this kind of experience cannot be overestimated in my opinion. I was also vastly reassured by the reminder that I'm not the only one that often feels like an "outsider" when what is normal for me seems exotic to others, or when I display my natural curiosity about and empathy for alternate cultural points of view. Thank you.
Great forward-looking article, focusing on the unique perspectives and talents brought home by TCKs. I forwarded it to my friend whose family is living in Shanghai for 2 years.
Not only have we learned to negotiate different cultures and value diversity, we have seen different solutions to solve similar problems and sometimes have seen better ways of doing things.
We have also observed the different cultures and have learned from them and have adopted the best of them to form a combination of what might be called a " global cultural best practices" catalog to live by.
We are not distracted by superficial outward differences and are able to focus on the issues, we are able to quickly distinguish between form and content and zero in on content.
I was really drawn to Obama when I learned he was a TCK. Having grown up in countries of the British Commonwealth and the US, it always seemed incredible that Americans seemed to consider his time outside the US as a problem, rather than a benefit for a future leader. I'm proud to call my fellow-TCK my president.
Excellent article! So much of it describes me perfectly. Having lived a third of my life outside the United States, I am gratified to know the things I think and feel are not strange or wrong, but unique to who I am because of my experiences.
To be honest, I hadn't thought of how Obama's upbringing and background would affect him as a President. I feel even more confidence in him now.
Thank you for writing this! And Daily Beast, thank you for publishing it!
I think it's a really nice piece.
"The TCKs' identity struggles can be painful and difficult. The literature documents addictive behaviors, troubled marriages and fitful careers. But meeting this challenge can become a TCK's greatest strength. Learning to take the positive pieces from a variety of experiences and create a strong sense of "This is who I am, no matter where I am" gives a steadiness when the world around is in flux or chaos - which helps explain "no-drama Obama.""
-> As a TCK I can relate to young Obama's struggles with identity. President Obama gives me hope because he has gone through this process of finding security in who he is, his identity, which many non-TCKs don't ask themselves as often as TCKs. And the struggles he has gone through can empower him to bring together the division in race, economy, and social welfare (ex. insurance).
This is an amazing piece. It reiterated some things i have always knows inside into words. I was raised in Korea, France, Germany and in Jersey. Now I live in California.
The identity struggle one deals with when, you are the only one of your kind where ever you go is very real. And if you didn't get the luxury of going to international schools but going to the country's native school, it is even more difficult to learn to adjust because it's more than the right clothing, it's a whole new language and culture to learn. You get the oppurtunity growing up to be open minded. More like, you have no choice but to learn to to be tolerant because you yourself have demanded tolerance from your peers in your new class. You have no choice but to learn to see things in different ways. It becomes part of survival.
Even though i was never a huge fan of Obama's, and am very apprehensive of what he will do in the oval office, one thing I have always defended about this man was his experience living abroad, and how that would help him.
We TCK's have a unique perspective. We love our country. But it's true like what many republicans were saying as if it was a bad thing: We see this country differently. It gives us an ability to see this country more objectively. We love our country but not blindly. That doesn't make us any less patriotic, it just means we see it as it is not just from an AMerican perspective, but from the outsiders' perspective.
Thank god we didn't get another "W" that makes the world say "stupid American" but a more cosmopolitan leader, for the next 4 years.
This is a fantastic article. I wish more people were looking at the new administration from this perspective! TCKs are constantly swept under the carpet, but thanks to Obama hopefully that will no longer be the case...
As a military brat who was dragged around bases in and outside the US, this helps me tremendously. It is very good to have discovered someone who appreciates the positives that early on I recognized came with moving around so much, and also gives me a vocabulary to help me decribe to myself the negatives. THis is precious assistance. Yes, I am a TCK now and feel blessed with a second nature ability to rlate to just about anyone from any country almost immmediately just like the neighbor next door. No problems.Yes, I saw this immediately in Obama and told myself the US is lucky to have someone like him, another TCK, just when international affairs are in danger of going really crazy. Funny how I used to my TCK nature was such a handicap, yet I wouldnt have given up the rich experiences, nor the pure joy of meeting dfferent people for anything.
Wow........the world awakes, and America awakes.........
finally they get it...........just as our new president elec..
gets it! Obama rocks!
Brava. I'm a TCK married to a TCK (US passport holders raised in Europe and Asia, speak several languages each), and this analysis is spot-on. It's extremely cool to think the prime characteristics of TCKs - radical curiosity, openness to cultural difference - will be valued now at the highest levels of US society. What a difference that could make.
I'm not sure if I qualify as a TCK but I liked Obama's background because I understood where he was from.
I was the only black kid in the class in white southern California, then I was the 'yankee' black kid in the USVI who talked funny, then the non-African-American son of Jamaicans back in the US who spoke proper english (i.e. not black enough). I immediately saw some of myself in Obama and I'm glad to see him operating with a diverse group of people like it's no big deal.
I think it will be invaluable to have a man in charge who has had to look at things from the other person's point of view to get along since elementary school.
I agree that this is a great piece. I teach at UC Berkeley, and many of my students are TCK. I'll be assigning this piece in the spring. Now if only the media could get on board and replace Russert/Brokaw/Gregory with Fareed Zakaria we could start getting an informed TCMedia!
Many americans COULD have the tck experience if a semester abroad were REQUIRED to graduate from college...instead of the foreign language requirement it would be a foreign LIVING requirement. And once that passport is in your hand you have a key at least as valuable as the degree for life long learning. I have been saying this for years btw....exchange programs for elite scholars miss the boat in a big way. Figuring out how to tip the taxi in Athens makes for a much better cultural immersion that sending someone off to Iraq in a uniform to get shot at.
Ruth Van Reken is probably the world's expert on the whole topic of TCK's and has co-authored the only book: The TCK Experience. It is a must read for those of you who find here observations cogent and catchy! This was my first evaluation of Obama's savvy, which most did not understand many mistook for being a chameleon. His flexibility and ability to adapt to different situations in a changing world, may be his saving grace in this next term. I am an ATCK--an Adult Third Culture Kid, who spent 15 years growing up in post-war Tokyo, Japan. It is perspectival experience, which stretches your worldview to consider a world that is much bigger than a mono-cultural, myopic North American perspective picked up in most suburbs. I have high hopes for Obama--primarily because he is a TCK. That probably has shaped him far more than his Harvard schooling. Let's wait and see how he performs under pressure.Steeve Hoke
I loved this! I am a TCK raising a TCK while we do an open ended world tour. I loved the way I was raised and wanted my daughter to have the same advantages and more.
I am thrilled with Obama's mulitculturalism ( which I think is actually stronger for him than the fact that the world perceives him as a black man) and thrilled that he is picking staff with similar attributes.
I also think the whole TCK is VERY different now than when the research first began so many years ago...thanks to the internet & web2.0. My daughter immerses deeply with one culture here in Spain where we winter between travels, while maintaining her home culture via Skype webcams and such on the web. So much different than when only expensive calls and snail male connected one.
Thank you.
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