In a sense, it would have been a good career for our father, a creative man whose frequent attempts at advancement were forever thwarted, or so he felt, by his accent and his background, his lack of education, connections, luck.

NEWYORKER: Dead Man Laughing

In another country you could flee easy categorisation by your education, your work, your class, your family, your accent, your politics.

ECONOMIST: Being foreign

"I've been talking about the new Silk Road for years, " says Chu, whose clipped English accent is the legacy of British schooling in colonial Hong Kong and a university education in London.

FORBES: Money & Investing