Experiencing Hospitality in a Community Toward Reconstructing Self-Identity

• In Event: Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: International Hospitality

Abstract

This study examined Korean international college students’ reconstructing process of their self-identities through the experiences of a summer program that was held in a university in the Midwest. Drawing on cultural theories of public representation, we investigated the ways multiculturalism both elicits and erases diverse responses from the international students. We employed “Case Narrative” method to capture individual voices of students. We found that when Korean international students created a caring community and experienced the warm hospitality from host students and families, they were able to reconstruct their positive self-esteem and self-identity. This study called attention to the question of public education, “how can we maintain and encourage goodwill, plurality, and equality in today’s market –driven globalization era?”

Authors

• Hee Young Choi, Millikin University

• Eunhyun Kim, University of Illinois