The Absentee American: Repatriates' Perspectives on America and Its Place in the Contemporary World - Hardcover

by Carolyn D. Smith (Author)

During the 1950s and 1960s increasing numbers of American citizens were stationed in foreign countries, and a whole generation of American children grew up abroad. As the interdependence of nations increases, new generations of Absentee Americans will be raised outside the United States. Based on interviews and questionnaire responses, this unique volume describes the impact of overseas living on Americans who spent at least some of their formative years in countries other than the United States.

It touches on a wide range of subjects such as schooling, living arrangements, social life abroad, and the experience of reentry into the United States, and it also provides a comprehensive view of the distinctive opinions shared by these global nomads. By exploring the lives and experiences of repatriates, the author emphasizes the need for increased intercultural contact and for educational programs that prepare young Americans to better understand the United States as part of the world community. This work will be of interest to sociologists and psychologists, as well as to Absentee Americans themselves, and to managers of public and private institutions with an international or intercultural dimension.

Author Biography

CAROLYN D. SMITH, a professional writer and editorial consultant, grew up in a Foreign Service family. She is co-editor of In the Field: Readings on the Field Research Experience (Praeger, 1989).