Claim Jumping at Century's End: University Student Identity in Late-Transition Hong Kong

Abstract

University students in Hong Kong in the mid-1990s have received little scholarly attention. Yet those who are enrolled in various forms of higher education during this period will begin careers and families of their own during the initial phase of the Special Administrative Region government of the People's Republic of China. How do students react to the changes occurring in Hong Kong? One way to answer this question is to explore the tensions embedded in the student experience as articulated in the students' own words. This article argues that students feel claimed by responsibilities to family and Hong Kong, as well as to China. Various characteristics of the two claims, as well as the difficulties involved in moving from one to another—claim jumping—can be seen by considering certain historical and experiential dimensions of a particular group of students at the University of Hong Kong. © 1996, SAGE Periodicals Press. All rights reserved.