Negotiating Identity In a Racialized Campus: A Multi-Case Study of Asian International Students

Background and Purpose: In 2025, approximately 1.2 million international students were enrolled in U.S. higher education, with about 71% originating from Asia. Despite their significant population, Asian international students are often treated as a homogenous group, obscuring differences in how racial-ethnic identities form and evolve during study abroad. Understanding these processes is critical, as they shape students’ sense of belonging, campus engagement, and adjustment. While prior research emphasizes cultural adjustment, less attention has been given to how racialized campus environments influence identity development over time. This qualitative study examines how Asian international students construct and negotiate racial-ethnic identities within a racialized U.S. college context.

Methods: This multiple case study was conducted at a large, predominantly White public university in the Midwest. Data were collected through 11 semi-structured interviews with undergraduate and graduate Asian international students, including follow-up interviews. Interviews explored pre-migration experiences, campus experiences, and identity development. Transcripts were analyzed thematically using QualCoder. Coding progressed from a priori codes into themes and subthemes. Cross-case analysis also was conducted to identify patterns and variations across cases, which were then synthesized into the conceptual framework representing identity development processes of acculturation, racial, and ethnic identity theories.

Results: Reveal a dynamic, non-linear process of racial–ethnic identity development structured across five interrelated themes: (1) pre-migration identity foundations, (2) mechanisms of acculturation and racialization, (3) cultural identity practices, (4) social positioning and belonging, and (5) identity reflection and internal negotiation. Together, these themes form a conceptual framework illustrating how identity evolves within a racialized campus context.

Students enter the study abroad experience with cultural frameworks shaped by national context, family values, and prior exposure to diversity. Upon arrival, they encounter acculturative and racialization stressors, including language barriers and often ambiguous forms of exclusion (e.g., being overlooked or socially distanced), which are not consistently interpreted as discrimination. These experiences are mixed, as students also report supportive faculty, positive peer relationships, and meaningful cultural exchange. In response to the racialized campus, students actively maintain and express their cultural identities while navigating belonging. Identity development is shaped not only by interactions with U.S. peers but also through increased intra-ethnic differentiation, as students renegotiate what “Asian” identity means across contexts. Over time, students engage in reflection, including moments of otherness, cultural pride, and bicultural negotiation. Identity development emerges as fluid and context-dependent, shaped by racial ambiguity, cultural maintenance, and active meaning-making.

Conclusions and Implications: This study develops a rich, descriptive conceptual framework of racial-ethnic identity formation among Asian international students, extending acculturation approaches by including racialization processes. Findings highlight that racialization is often experienced as ambiguous rather than explicit, shaping how students interpret and respond to their environments. Implications for social work practice emphasize identity-informed, culturally responsive support that addresses both adjustment and racialized experiences. Practitioners should create spaces for identity exploration, integrate discussions of race into programming, and support students in navigating intra- and inter-group dynamics. Institutions should also recognize within-group diversity and address subtle forms of exclusion to better support student belonging and well-being.