Precarious Participation: Chinese International Students’ Transnational Digital Literacies

Written Communication Feb 2026 Open Access

Precarious Participation: Chinese International Students’ Transnational Digital Literacies

Zhaozhe Wang University of Toronto

Abstract

For many transnational students in North America, digital literacies entail precarious participation—the adaptive engagement in digital literacy practices under conditions of systemic vulnerability and instability. This multiple case study examines how Chinese international students at a Canadian university perceive and navigate the precarity of their digital literacy practices across national and cultural boundaries. Findings reveal that the four participants exhibit tacit sensitivity to transnational digital precarity, employ strategic adaptation, and engage in measured resistance that cautiously transgresses digital norms. These insights contribute to broader discussions on digital literacies, transnational literacies, and digital precarity, extending and complicating existing frameworks in writing studies, literacy studies, and media studies.

Journal: Written Communication
Published: 2026-02-12
DOI: 10.1177/07410883251410171
Open Access: OA PDF Hybrid
Topics: literacy studies qualitative research digital rhetoric multilingual writers

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Cites in this index (6)

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Cook (2002)

Layered Literacies: A Theoretical Frame for Technical Communication Pedagogy

Technical Communication Quarterly

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