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ETD Abstract Container

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Redrawing Boundaries with Culture: International Students’ Racial Identity and Sense of Belonging

Miladinovic, Adrijana
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9303-4776
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1720590633420172

Abstract Details

2024, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Sociology.
International students in the United States make unique contributions both economically and culturally during their studies and many of them express their wish to stay after graduation. However, they often face challenges in their attempts to integrate, especially in their struggle to navigate the racially and culturally stratified U.S. society. This study aims to explore the interplay between international students' internalized cultural identities and the unfamiliar racial boundaries they encounter, focusing especially on how this affects their feelings of belonging. I utilize a thematic analysis of 28 semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted with international undergraduate and graduate students from 13 different countries enrolled at a Midwestern research university. My findings suggest that international students acquire new race-related schemas that allow them to perform ascribed racial roles and thus navigate the U.S. cultural landscape. However, many of them find race mysterious and do not see it as a part of their own identities. Consequently, instead of integrating into the mainstream society, they create international bubbles with others like them, cultivating environments where they can freely express their cultural identities and where they feel they belong. Additionally, many of them actively reject imposed racial categories, dismissing them as divisive and superficial. As race is a major part of the U.S. culture, this leads to further alienation, partial feelings of belonging at best, and even a reluctance to stay long-term and integrate.
David Melamed (Advisor)
Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira (Committee Member)
Eric Schoon (Committee Member)
63 p.
Sociology
International students, race, racial boundaries, racial identity, cultural tool kit

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Miladinovic, A. (2024). Redrawing Boundaries with Culture: International Students’ Racial Identity and Sense of Belonging [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1720590633420172

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Miladinovic, Adrijana. Redrawing Boundaries with Culture: International Students’ Racial Identity and Sense of Belonging . 2024. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1720590633420172.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Miladinovic, Adrijana. "Redrawing Boundaries with Culture: International Students’ Racial Identity and Sense of Belonging ." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1720590633420172

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1720590633420172
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© 2024, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.