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China-to-UK student migration and pro-environmental behaviour change: a social practice perspective

China-to-UK student migration and pro-environmental behaviour change: a social practice perspective
China-to-UK student migration and pro-environmental behaviour change: a social practice perspective
Significant life-course changes can be ‘windows of opportunity’ to disrupt practices. Using qualitative focus group data, this article examines whether the life-course change experienced by Chinese students migrating to the UK has an effect on environmentally impactful practices. It does so by examining how such practices are understood and performed by Chinese and UK students living in their own countries, and contrasting them with those of Chinese students in the UK. Using a social practice framework, these findings suggest that practices do change, and this change can be conceptualised using a framework of competences, materials, and meanings. The findings show meanings – the cultural and social norms ascribed to pro-environmental behaviour – to be particularly susceptible to the influence of ‘communities of practice’ where immigrants and natives mix, with pro-environmental behaviour change resulting from assimilation and mimesis rather than normative engagement.
behaviour, practice theory, Bourdieu, China, environment, migration
1360-7804
1-23
Tyers, Roger
c161aff8-0dfb-4616-a3fc-dd91800d9386
Berchoux, Tristan
bf82581a-f817-4e6c-a7d2-1164db7ca4fc
Xiang, Kun
0050eaf4-e36f-4327-9815-b228e7ac2e72
Tyers, Roger
c161aff8-0dfb-4616-a3fc-dd91800d9386
Berchoux, Tristan
bf82581a-f817-4e6c-a7d2-1164db7ca4fc
Xiang, Kun
0050eaf4-e36f-4327-9815-b228e7ac2e72

Tyers, Roger, Berchoux, Tristan and Xiang, Kun (2018) China-to-UK student migration and pro-environmental behaviour change: a social practice perspective. Sociological Research Online, 1-23. (doi:10.1177/1360780418794194).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Significant life-course changes can be ‘windows of opportunity’ to disrupt practices. Using qualitative focus group data, this article examines whether the life-course change experienced by Chinese students migrating to the UK has an effect on environmentally impactful practices. It does so by examining how such practices are understood and performed by Chinese and UK students living in their own countries, and contrasting them with those of Chinese students in the UK. Using a social practice framework, these findings suggest that practices do change, and this change can be conceptualised using a framework of competences, materials, and meanings. The findings show meanings – the cultural and social norms ascribed to pro-environmental behaviour – to be particularly susceptible to the influence of ‘communities of practice’ where immigrants and natives mix, with pro-environmental behaviour change resulting from assimilation and mimesis rather than normative engagement.

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ROGER TYERS China paper accepted manuscript - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 9 July 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 August 2018
Keywords: behaviour, practice theory, Bourdieu, China, environment, migration

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 425399
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/425399
ISSN: 1360-7804
PURE UUID: 4851893c-a3ba-49a3-9027-1e98f3b0edfb
ORCID for Roger Tyers: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0187-0468

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 17 Oct 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:39

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Contributors

Author: Roger Tyers ORCID iD
Author: Tristan Berchoux
Author: Kun Xiang

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