Enriched or latent cosmopolitanism? Identity negotiations of female international students from Japan in the US

Abstract

Drawing from a qualitative study with 13 female international students from Japan to the United States, this article examines ways in which studying abroad has impacted the students' social and ethnic identities. Findings indicate that while the students did experience social marginalization, they did actively resist it and individually and collectively tried to find ways to integrate in their new social context. Furthermore, and while the students' discussions expressed a strong ethnic identity upon relocation, they did not plan to go back to their native country upon graduation. The discussion centres on the theoretical contributions of this work and attempts to identify directions for institutions of higher education that enroll international students.

Keywords:

• international students
• marginalization
• cosmopolitanism
• study abroad