PhD defence M.F. (Monika) de Waal

In the world of today, more and more people grow up and live cross-culturally, and this leads to the question how these cross-cultural life experiences influence people’s intercultural skillset, their sense of self, and their sense of belonging. A specific group of people growing up and living cross-culturally are Third Culture Kids (TCKs), who as children spend a significant part of their first eighteen years of life in another country than the passport country of the accompanying parent(s), due to a parent’s choice of work or advanced training (Pollock et al., 2010). This dissertation examines the potential contributions by Third Culture Kids to the workplace and the effects of their growing up cross-culturally on their cultural
identities. This is done through both quantitative and qualitative studies. The main research question of this dissertation is: How do the unique experiences of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) influence their cultural identity and relate to their ability to be effective across cultures in the work context?

The PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall at campus Woudestein or in the Professor Andries Querido Room at the Erasmus MC. The candidates will defend their dissertation either in a small group or online.