Traveling between Chinese and English: An International Doctoral Student’s Journey in U.S. Academia

• In Event: Multilingual Pedagogies, Identities, and Literacies in U.S. Education

Abstract

This autoethnographic study examines how being bilingual shapes my identity as an international PhD student in a predominantly English-speaking academic environment. Through Anzaldúa’s borderlands theory, I analyze my experiences of carrying Chinese language and cultural knowledge while navigating English-dominated spaces. By documenting my lived experiences of interactions with peers and faculty in these linguistic and cultural borderlands, this study contributes to understanding how international students negotiate their linguistic repertoires in English-speaking educational contexts.

Author

• Xiao Hu, University of Utah