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“ALL PTHER PASSPORTS”: An Qualitative Exploration of Identity, State Power, and the Chinese Passport

Zhang, Keqin LU (2026) SOCM05 20252
Sociology
Abstract
This thesis examines how Chinese passport holders understand their cross-border
mobility and how this understanding forms within the interaction between state
narratives and global mobility regimes. Rather than treating mobility inequality only
as a structural issue, the study focuses on how it becomes embedded in everyday life
through waiting, planning, comparison, and document preparation, making the
passport both an administrative tool and a symbolic object. Using interviews of
Chinese passport holders in Europe and the United States, the research shows how
official narratives present the passport as protection while everyday experiences
highlight uncertainty, scrutiny, and practical constraints. Drawing on Foucault’s
... (More)
This thesis examines how Chinese passport holders understand their cross-border
mobility and how this understanding forms within the interaction between state
narratives and global mobility regimes. Rather than treating mobility inequality only
as a structural issue, the study focuses on how it becomes embedded in everyday life
through waiting, planning, comparison, and document preparation, making the
passport both an administrative tool and a symbolic object. Using interviews of
Chinese passport holders in Europe and the United States, the research shows how
official narratives present the passport as protection while everyday experiences
highlight uncertainty, scrutiny, and practical constraints. Drawing on Foucault’s
governmentality and Bourdieu’s symbolic power, the analysis demonstrates that
inequality is internalised not through dramatic events but through repeated procedures
and expectations that shape how individuals plan, evaluate possibilities, and position
themselves within a global hierarchy. By centering interpretation, the thesis reveals
how mobility inequality becomes understandable and manageable in daily life,
offering a perspective on how passports, mobility, and state power interact. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Zhang, Keqin LU
supervisor
organization
course
SOCM05 20252
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
everyday experiences, identity, symbolic power, passport
language
English
id
9219944
date added to LUP
2026-01-28 14:52:44
date last changed
2026-01-28 14:52:44
@misc{9219944,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines how Chinese passport holders understand their cross-border
mobility and how this understanding forms within the interaction between state
narratives and global mobility regimes. Rather than treating mobility inequality only
as a structural issue, the study focuses on how it becomes embedded in everyday life
through waiting, planning, comparison, and document preparation, making the
passport both an administrative tool and a symbolic object. Using interviews of
Chinese passport holders in Europe and the United States, the research shows how
official narratives present the passport as protection while everyday experiences
highlight uncertainty, scrutiny, and practical constraints. Drawing on Foucault’s
governmentality and Bourdieu’s symbolic power, the analysis demonstrates that
inequality is internalised not through dramatic events but through repeated procedures
and expectations that shape how individuals plan, evaluate possibilities, and position
themselves within a global hierarchy. By centering interpretation, the thesis reveals
how mobility inequality becomes understandable and manageable in daily life,
offering a perspective on how passports, mobility, and state power interact.}},
  author       = {{Zhang, Keqin}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{“ALL PTHER PASSPORTS”: An Qualitative Exploration of Identity, State Power, and the Chinese Passport}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}