Learning and Living Under Political Scrutiny: Chinese International Students in the United States in an Era of Geopolitical Tensions and Political Hostility

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 1:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Comparative Perspectives on Education and policy insights from a Chinese context

Abstract

This paper examines lived experiences of Chinese students in the US during 2025, a period marked by geopolitical tensions and restrictive immigration policies. This qualitative study draws from interviews conducted in spring 2025. Four themes emerged: (1) visa insecurity and political instability as defining stressors, (2) pervasive surveillance culture and digital self-censorship, (3) politicization of classroom dynamics, and (4) student survival strategies amid resilience. The research reveals how political forces create new forms of educational marginalization based on nationality. Situated within the larger historical context of Sino-American educational exchange since 1978 while centering contemporary student voices, this study demonstrates how international education experiences are affected by politics and geopolitics, essential to imagining more equitable educational futures and calls for policy reforms.

Author

• Xin Wang, Baylor University