Racial Assimilators, Navigators, and Resisters: The Racial Acculturation of Chinese International Students

• In Event: 1284 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 08. College Students' Understandings of Race/Ethnicity

Abstract

Few studies have examined how international students acculturate to the racial norms and realities of the United States, focusing instead on the nonracial aspects of acculturation such as culture shock. This paper addresses this gap in the literature with a longitudinal study of Chinese international students and their racial acculturation across three key dimensions: racial identity, racial schema, and racial consciousness. I draw upon 30 qualitative interviews conducted twice per respondent over six months. Results indicate significant variation in the extent of racial acculturation in the United States. Of the 15 Chinese international students, there were 3 “assimilators” who were significantly racially acculturated, 4 “navigators” who exhibited some change, and 8 “resisters” who were virtually unchanged. The varying outcomes may be explained by two interplaying factors: the respondents’ levels of social exposure to U.S. society and their level of resistance against a racial interpretation of their social experiences.

Author

• Keitaro Okura, Columbia University