‘Villagers in the City’: Resilience in migrant youth amidst urbanisation

Abstract

Abstract Rapid urbanisation necessitates more research attention to the challenges and resources among families moving from rural to urban areas. Using a multisystemic resilience framework, this qualitative study explores how resilience is embodied in the intrapersonal, interpersonal and institutional levels of the daily lives of migrant children in China, an exemplar of contemporary fast-urbanising societies. I conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with ten migrant children who live in Beijing, along with their parents, teachers and social service providers. The findings suggest that rural-to-urban migration is both an empowering and a depriving experience. On the intrapersonal level, migration increases children’s independence, personal growth, future aspirations, as well as academic stress. On the interpersonal level, migrant children receive substantial support from parents, siblings, extended family and peers; however, they are at risk of insufficient parental supervision and loss of meaningful relationships. On the institutional level, migration provides children with a better environment, better school experiences, greater material resources and social organisation services, but migrant children remain vulnerable to educational discrimination, economic deprivation and poor neighbourhood environments in the city.