Being othered: A qualitative study on how Chinese students make meaning of their national and ethnic identities within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Garner, Ana Esther
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122128
Description
Title
Being othered: A qualitative study on how Chinese students make meaning of their national and ethnic identities within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Author(s)
Garner, Ana Esther
Issue Date
2023-11-27
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Witt, Allison
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Witt, Allison
Committee Member(s)
Dyson, Anne
Pak, Yoon
Shao, Dan
Department of Study
Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp
Discipline
Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Diversity & Equity, Study Abroad, International Students, Chinese International Students, Chinese Ethnic Minorities, Cultural Identity Theory, Lived Experiences
Abstract
Through a qualitative approach, this dissertation study explores how institutionalized and deeply embedded beliefs and perceptions on the stigmatization of the other influence Chinese international students’ national and ethnic identities at a predominately White institution. Through the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sociopolitical consequences that ensued its' development and its' influence on Americans’ perception and opinion on marginalized groups, this qualitative research design will address how Chinese students respond to and process their national and ethnic identities in a climate of institutionalized power inequities.
To understand the diverse backgrounds of Chinese students' perceptions and identities, I purposely selected Chinese students based on their ethnic background. Through semi-structured interviews, I interviewed four Han-Chinese students and four Chinese ethnic minority students twice in a total of 16 recorded interviews. I interviewed Chinese ethnic minority students that identified as Tibetan-Chinese, Bai-Chinese, and Manchu-Chinese. The last participant that identified as minority did not want her ethnic identity to be known.
This study’s findings explored Han-Chinese and Chinese ethnic minority students’ lived experiences during the global pandemic and how they were othered and displaced. Stuart Hall’s cultural identity theory (Hall, 1990) undergirds and supports my study’s findings. My findings explored the following: (1) participants’ perception on diversity and race as a Western problem, (2) how the global pandemic was politicized in the United States and how it has impacted participants’ understanding of race and politics as well as their sense of belonging, (3) how social media influenced participants’ lived experiences, and, lastly, (4) how participants’ respond to and process their identity as an educational leader and as an international student.
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