International Students and Everyday Multiculturalism: Rethinking 'Connection' through Mundane Sites of Encounter
Saved in:
| Title: | International Students and Everyday Multiculturalism: Rethinking 'Connection' through Mundane Sites of Encounter |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jenna Mittelmeier (ORCID |
| Source: | Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education Research. 2025 90(6):1635-1654. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 20 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Students, Cultural Pluralism, College Students, Foreign Countries, Stranger Reactions, Racism, Stereotypes, Student Experience, Community |
| Geographic Terms: | Germany |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10734-025-01396-1 |
| ISSN: | 0018-1560 1573-174X |
| Abstract: | Dominant narratives of international students in the existing literature paint them as 'missing' or living 'in parallel' to their local communities, predominantly through evaluating the composition of their friendship networks. In this study, we query whether the use of a new conceptual framework can provide alternative explanations for these deficit framings. Using the lens of 'everyday multiculturalism', we explore instead how (international) students encounter, enact, and engage with multiculturalism in their local communities in more micro ways through banal acts of daily living. This has been developed through interviews with 41 international and home students across four cities in Germany, using a photo elicitation method and centring narrative storytelling. This study finds that micro sites of encounter, such as rubbish bins and bus rides, are symbolised by students as meaningful spaces of multicultural encounter and learning. We further reflect on how everyday multiculturalism holds a dual function as a site of experienced xenophobia and racism, as well as spaces where stereotypes are confirmed. Together this highlights the value of alternative conceptual frameworks for critiquing deficit framings of international students' connections to multicultural societies by highlighting how they are multicultural society. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1500658 |
| Database: | ERIC |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwEHgFmdjmihqy5vkFg0fDCUAAAA4zCB4AYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHSMIHPAgEAMIHJBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDN9uPJwQDYHcsGheqQIBEICBmxil8CYI8xEwSJBJfyNyNRLRcLOINCPmz-QrU-q955m8Bw_mH9Ve6aBlegKh5VS6U6BYC36dKCAFpWzIHiA-6kOPMMC_8cocB48APuBcL2FXe_bfkqcR3JVpdJv3ND2S7hPhVmcC5Y7TfzQIaeDbq4305ZF-L4GxYMrji6P6vdZ5S1buhUVGIK1PCfX2D5rInsqk93moKf_5_bvO Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0190548565;hie01dec.25;2026Jan01.00:31;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0190548565-1">International students and everyday multiculturalism: rethinking 'connection' through mundane sites of encounter </title> <p>Dominant narratives of international students in the existing literature paint them as 'missing' or living 'in parallel' to their local communities, predominantly through evaluating the composition of their friendship networks. In this study, we query whether the use of a new conceptual framework can provide alternative explanations for these deficit framings. Using the lens of 'everyday multiculturalism', we explore instead how (international) students encounter, enact, and engage with multiculturalism in their local communities in more micro ways through banal acts of daily living. This has been developed through interviews with 41 international and home students across four cities in Germany, using a photo elicitation method and centring narrative storytelling. This study finds that micro sites of encounter, such as rubbish bins and bus rides, are symbolised by students as meaningful spaces of multicultural encounter and learning. We further reflect on how everyday multiculturalism holds a dual function as a site of experienced xenophobia and racism, as well as spaces where stereotypes are confirmed. Together this highlights the value of alternative conceptual frameworks for critiquing deficit framings of international students' connections to multicultural societies by highlighting how they are multicultural society.</p> <p>Keywords: Higher education; International students; Everyday multiculturalism; Community; Connection; Interaction; Studies in Human Society Sociology</p> <p>Daian Huang, Limanzi Xu, Mumine Ozturk, and Karen Broadhurst Healey are joint second authors.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-2">Introduction</hd> <p>International students—defined broadly here as those geographically mobile for higher education—are a significant presence in many global contexts. It is estimated there are over six million international students globally, with significant rises in recent years (OECD, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref1">32</reflink>]). Germany, the context of our study, is host to record numbers of international students; over 350,000 international students comprise 12% of total enrolments and up to 23% of postgraduates in the country (ICEF, [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref2">17</reflink>]). This changing university student population has led to increased scholarly and practitioner focuses on the impact to surrounding societies where international students study, live, and work. A common framing of international students positions them as benefits to their surrounding host cities and institutions, where arguments have been drawn for decades about assumed values of learning with peers from different national contexts (e.g. Leask, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref3">21</reflink>]).</p> <p>Our research focuses specifically on assumptions about international students' contributions to social multicultural exchanges, where it has been long argued that multicultural interactions on campus provide pathways for meaningful learning about other cultures (e.g., Volet &amp; Ang, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref4">47</reflink>]). This has led to a wide range of research focusing specifically on international students' social network formations (summarised by Bender et al., [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref5">2</reflink>]), evaluating issues such as who international students are friends with (McKenzie &amp; Baldassar, [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref6">27</reflink>]), their use of entertainment media (Gomes, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref7">12</reflink>]) and social media (Li &amp; Peng, [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref8">23</reflink>]), or how they spend their leisure time (Thies &amp; Falk, [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref9">43</reflink>]). Engagement with home students and host media are frequently seen by researchers as markers of so-called 'successful' adjustment, although research shows that many international students continue to engage with peers (e.g. Rienties et al., [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref10">36</reflink>]) or digital media (Chang et al., [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref11">8</reflink>]) from their own countries. Such findings have led some scholars to argue that international students inhabit 'parallel societies' (Gomes, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref12">12</reflink>]) or are 'living on the margins' (Zhao, [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref13">53</reflink>]) with limited connections to their local communities or host cultures.</p> <p>We argue that, although likely not the intention of many scholars, existing depictions stem from problematic deficit narratives of international students which over-emphasise macro gestures, such as friendship, as markers of 'connection'. By deficit narratives, we mean the tendency for research to focus on what international students <emph>lack</emph>, framing their experiences through the lens of challenges and struggles (Lomer et al., [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref14">25</reflink>]). This leads research to focus on measuring and critiquing who international students are friends with or how they spend their time, assuming poor 'integration' rather than recognising alternative forms of connection and agency (Beech, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref15">1</reflink>]). While proxies such as friendship, media use, or leisure activities have their merit, the sole reliance upon them is overly narrow, ignoring other ways that presence and impact can be seen and felt within local communities. To make this argument, we reconceptualise international students' impacts on wider societies through an alternative framing of 'everyday multiculturalism' (Wise &amp; Velayutham, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref16">49</reflink>])—a focus on the banal, routine, mundane encounters that occur between those from different cultures by nature of sharing a common space. We critique deficit narratives about international students which render them invisible in or separated from their local communities, highlighting instead the ways that presence is felt and negotiated through everyday acts of daily life.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-3">International students as 'missing' from their local communities</hd> <p>Research with international students in higher education has frequently considered their social networks (Kudo et al., [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref17">20</reflink>]), often assuming that friendships with home students are proxies for belonging (e.g. Gareis, [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref18">10</reflink>]). Friendship has long been seen as a marker of international students' transitions into their host communities (e.g. Hendrickson et al., [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref19">13</reflink>]; Rienties et al., [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref20">36</reflink>]; Schartner, [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref21">39</reflink>]; Spencer-Oatey et al., [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref22">41</reflink>]). These evaluations are not without merit, particularly as there is significant evidence for the value of multicultural friendships in dismantling biases and increasing cultural understandings (e.g. Kende et al., [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref23">18</reflink>]). Similarly, research has shown how multicultural friendships can support students in their adjustment to living in a new cultural space (Bender et al., [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref24">2</reflink>]). Our critique lies instead with the field's sole focus on <emph>only </emph>these proxies, as there have been limited reflections on how interactions beyond what might be classified as friendship—casual acquaintances, colleagues, neighbours, random encounters, etc.—may still offer meaningful opportunities for multicultural learning.</p> <p>Understandings about international students' community experiences are often developed through deficit lenses which critique (explicitly or implicitly) how they choose to connect with their host communities. Research, for example, frequently highlights the 'missing' friendships between international and home students (McKenzie &amp; Baldassar, [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref25">27</reflink>]; Yu &amp; Moskal, [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref26">51</reflink>]). Friendships between fellow international students or students from the same country or culture are often framed as equating to a lack of connectedness to host communities (Gomes, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref27">12</reflink>]; Willoughby-Knox &amp; Yates, [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref28">48</reflink>]). Other scholars speak of a 'need to mix' international students with home student populations due to their 'structurally parallel communities' and 'mono-cultural ghetto patterns' (Cao et al., [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref29">7</reflink>], p. 94), painting a picture of closed cultural communities which purposefully avoid interactions with host communities. This leads to conclusions being drawn that international students 'generally live on the margins of the host society and are unable to fully participate in all aspects of life while overseas' (Zhao, [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref30">53</reflink>], p. 164). The deficit language in such descriptions tends to centre international students' perceived self-segregation by assuming a lack of connection to their host communities.</p> <p>We argue that these narratives are misplaced for several reasons. Perhaps most problematic is that they mirror discourses about (and often explicitly use the language of) lack of 'integration' which have been extensively critiqued in literature about migrants more generally (e.g. Schinkel, [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref31">40</reflink>]). One critique is how these discourses place the onus on migrant individuals to adapt or change to 'fit in' to their host societies, rather than recognising the need for nuanced and reciprocal societal adaptation to multiculturalism (e.g. Klarenbeek, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref32">19</reflink>]). Yet, a more fundamental critique centres on how migrants' perceived lack of integration or connection to society is an extension of neo-colonialism (Schinkel, [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref33">40</reflink>]), intertwined with the historical treatment of colonised peoples through assumptions that the host country is superior and necessary to integrate <emph>into</emph>. Arguments aligned with integration are, therefore, racialised and politicised (Mittelmeier, [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref34">29</reflink>]; Hutter &amp; Kriesi, [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref35">16</reflink>]), recreating xenophobic tropes of international students who are seen as 'not integrated enough'.</p> <p>There are also methodological flaws in scholars' preoccupation with proxies such as friendship for 'connection', as this reduction does not recognise the learning potential of more casual acquaintances and interactions within multicultural communities. That is not to say that friendship is not important, in recognition of the wide range of research highlighting its role in meaningful multicultural learning and dismantling prejudices (e.g. Kende et al., [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref36">18</reflink>]). However, interactions which are more casual, transitory, or brief hold similarly valuable potential for learning about other cultures and developing a sense of community (Wise &amp; Velayutham, [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref37">50</reflink>]). For instance, other scholars have reflected on daily acts of negotiation that occur in small ways through living in a multicultural society (Viola, [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref38">46</reflink>]). Therefore, there is a need to reconsider understandings of connection and presence within local communities, beyond evaluations of simply who international students are friends with.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-4">Introducing everyday multiculturalism: an alternative framing of connection</hd> <p>With these critiques in mind, we purposefully sought a conceptual framework which could provide an alternative perspective on international students' connections within their local communities. This led us to the lens of 'everyday multiculturalism', which is a sociological framework for exploring the ways individuals encounter, enact, and engage with multiculturalism in small, mundane ways in daily life. It is described by Wise and Velayutham ([<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref39">49</reflink>]) as 'explor[ing] how cultural diversity is experienced and negotiated on the ground in everyday situations' (p. 2). The authors use the example of a food court, describing in detail the cultural heritages of the food on offer and the groups whose lives intersect within it in small ways to create 'a distinct temporal rhythm to the space' (Wise &amp; Velayutham, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref40">49</reflink>], p. 1). Other scholars have used this framing to explore residential encounters in a rapidly diversifying suburb of Melbourne (Oke et al., [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref41">33</reflink>]) or how buses operate as 'compressed public spaces' of diversity in Milan (Bovo et al., [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref42">5</reflink>]). Scholars using this lens are interested in how everyday life leads to multicultural intersections through 'the mundane, seemingly unimportant encounters that constitute the overwhelming majority of everyday contact experiences' (Dixon et al., [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref43">9</reflink>], p. 703).</p> <p>Within the everyday multiculturalism lens, focus is taken away from macro-level theories that focus predominantly on culture as connected to national citizenship. Rather, scholars consider 'the everyday lived reality of cultural difference' (Wise &amp; Valayutham, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref44">49</reflink>], pg. 2), highlighting the numerous micro ways individuals encounter those they may view as being from another culture. 'Culture' here is defined more loosely and subjectively to consider how individuals define difference in their specific contexts and how they characterise their encounters with this difference in everyday life. Therefore, embedding this lens allowed us to investigate how international students conceptualise 'multiculturalism' and 'difference' as it pertains to their daily community interactions.</p> <p>Everyday multiculturalism, with its focus on 'the micro-sociology of everyday practice' (Wise &amp; Velayutham, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref45">49</reflink>], p. 3), offered opportunities for understanding alternative visions of what connection across differences (broadly defined) looks like, in addition to proxies such as friendship. It allowed for considerations of how communities become 'micropublics' (Ho, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref46">14</reflink>]) of multicultural encounters through the presence of international students. In doing so, place and place-making are centred (Spijkers &amp; Loopmans, [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref47">42</reflink>]), considering 'sites of encounter' which represent the spaces where cultures regularly meet through everyday living. At the same time, it is important not to over-romanticise everyday life (Valentine, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref48">44</reflink>]), particularly in recognition that daily encounters hold just as much potential to confirm stereotypes and biases through their limitedness, accentuating 'everyday otherness' frequently held about those from other cultures (Radford, [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref49">34</reflink>]). By otherness, we refer here to Edward Said's conceptualisation of 'Othering', meaning the ways that 'us versus them' narratives are created about those from other cultures, particularly historically marginalized and formerly colonised peoples (Said, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref50">38</reflink>]).</p> <p>While the everyday multiculturalism lens has been commonly used in disciplines such as sociology and human geography, there have been more limited applications in educational settings. Those who have used this framing typically consider the campus or school as the primary site of encounter (e.g. Ho, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref51">14</reflink>]). For example, prior research has considered teacher reactions to students' everyday multicultural (and often racist) encounters (Meetoo, [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref52">28</reflink>]). In higher education, Mallman et al. ([<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref53">26</reflink>]) has provided an in-depth analysis of how campus regularly functions as a space for 'everyday convivialities' through the meetings of cultures during routine, daily interactions.</p> <p>We used this framing to consider how everyday multiculturalism renders it impossible for international students to be 'missing' from the society or community in which they live their daily lives. This led us to the following two research questions:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> How do (international) students experience everyday multiculturalism within their local communities?</item> <p></p> <item> What does the everyday multicultural lens add to our understanding of (international) students and their connections within their local communities?</item> </ulist> <p>Through our data generation and presentation of findings, we sought to provide alternative understandings of what it means to be 'present' and to 'connect' within one's local community.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-5">Methods</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0190548565-6">Participants and settings</hd> <p>Data generation took place at seven universities in four cities in Germany. Multiple sites were chosen because our research questions focused on community and a comparative approach allowed us to explore the role of place in participants' meaning-making. The specific institutions and cities were purposefully selected in collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the project funder, to represent regional variations and differing urban characteristics, allowing us to move beyond static representations of macro-level national characteristics of data generation sites. This was particularly important between the East and West regions, which is a division that holds significant historical meaning for regional identities and politics in Germany. Our sites included:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> City 1: A large state capital city (approx. 800,000 residents) in the east of Germany, known as a cultural hub and centre for the arts</item> <p></p> <item> City 2: A small city (approx. 100,000 residents) in the east of Germany, which is a historic university town known for its connections to science and industry</item> <p></p> <item> City 3: A large city (approx. 600,000 residents) in the west of Germany, known for its maritime industry and heritage</item> <p></p> <item> City 4: A small city (approx. 100,000 residents) in the west of Germany, which is one of the country's oldest cities with rich history and architecture</item> </ulist> <p>Following ethical approval from our university and obtaining institutional permissions, participants were selected with the support of each institution's international office. We interviewed 41 students: eight in City 1, twelve in City 2, sixteen in City 3, and five in City 4. The project funder served as a gatekeeper for contacting institutions and institutions shared our project details with their student email lists (i.e. lists of current international students or current volunteers for internationally-minded student organisations). Interested participants were asked to fill out an online form, after which those eligible (see below) were contacted by a member of the research team to schedule an interview. While every effort was sought to identify participants with diverse backgrounds and life experiences (as identified through responses to the online form and during interviews), we recognise that participant recruitment was ultimately the responsibility of participating institutions. We have no evidence this impacted the ultimate findings, but note the limitation that we were unable to verify how the institutions specifically invited potential participants.</p> <p>In terms of eligibility to participate, we purposefully sought diversity across world regions to explore consistency of experience between students from different regional backgrounds (as described in our findings), but did not purposefully recruit based on nationality. In our analysis, we recognise in line with Huang ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref54">15</reflink>]) that nationality is a poor proxy for identity and there was a wide range of intra-national diversity present within our sample, including students with varied racial, ethnic, religious, and gender identities, among other identities. We wished to avoid essentialist, 'laundry list' characterisations of difference which assumes individual characteristics based on national citizenship. Nonetheless, we have included some context about students' identities and lives in Germany in our description of their stories in the findings section. However, we urge readers to be reflective about how these labels offer particular practical and conceptual challenges (as argued by S. Bennett et al., [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref55">4</reflink>]) for understanding participants and their everyday lives in authentic, meaningful ways.</p> <p>We also included some 'local' German students, which allowed us to compare experiences across a student cohort which is often homogenised ('THE international student experience') or dichotomised (international vs home students) (Mittelmeier et al., [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref56">30</reflink>]). 35 participants were categorised by their institutions as international students (i.e. sponsored by a student visa or through a European exchange programme) and 6 were categorised as German students (i.e. having German citizenship). Within the international student population, some were studying for a full degree in Germany, while others were on a time-limited study abroad programme.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-7">Data collection and analysis</hd> <p>Inspired by Nada's ([<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref57">31</reflink>]) research, we took a narrative approach recognising storytelling as data construction (pg. 236). Given our conceptual framing of everyday multiculturalism, identifying and interpreting the themes and characters within the stories shared by participants provided rich insights into their everyday lives. As we were also working in a large team with multiple interviewers, we saw practical and methodological value in creating some overarching alignment between our approaches. Therefore, we took a semi-structured narrative approach to interviewing (reflecting on Brannen, [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref58">6</reflink>]), with guiding questions related to:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> How participants would characterise their host city and local community</item> <p></p> <item> What common types of daily social interactions participants had (and with whom)</item> <p></p> <item> What the schedule of a typical day in their lives looked like</item> <p></p> <item> Where they were most likely to encounter local community members in daily life</item> <p></p> <item> Their understandings of multiculturalism and examples of this in their daily lives</item> </ulist> <p>While using these general topics as a guide, we consistently asked participants to share narrative stories or examples of the points raised (e.g. 'Can you tell me a story about XYZ?' or 'Can you give me an example of a time this happened?'). Therefore, storytelling was central to our in-depth understanding of participants' everyday lives, while structured guiding questions supported comparisons between contexts and participants.</p> <p>We considered that identifying stories on the spot about everyday life might be challenging for participants, particularly if discussing in an additional language. Therefore, we asked them to submit three photographs before their interview to use for discussion (Richard &amp; Lahman, [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref59">35</reflink>]). The instructions to participants outlined: 'Please share with us up to three photos which you believe represents your experience living in your local community' and the specific content was left to their interpretation. During the interview, participants were asked to share reflections on the stories behind the photographs and what they represented. As a way to test our use of everyday multiculturalism as a conceptual lens, we did not specify that photographs or stories must be explicitly about multiculturalism. Rather, we wished to discuss 'multiculturalism' explicitly <emph>with</emph> participants to understand whether/how their views aligned with existing research. Nonetheless, the vast majority of the stories shared were ultimately about multiculturalism (as described in the findings). Altogether, this multimodal approach (visuals alongside spoken word) further encouraged reflection and more nuanced shared meaning-making, while also providing a springboard for additional storytelling. We have included example photographs in the findings section, with permission from participants.</p> <p>This research was solicited by the DAAD and the project leader (Mittelmeier) was recruited by the organisation to conduct the study as an external expert in the experiences and treatments of international students. The research team for this study was based in the UK, while participants were in Germany. Given this geographic distance, the interviews took place online via Zoom. Although participants were studying in Germany, most were studying through English medium instruction and, therefore, the interviews were conducted in English. Each interview lasted approximately one hour.</p> <p>We recognised the inherent challenges to qualitative data collection across a large team, given our different positionalities and expertise. Therefore, we took steps to align our approach to the project by holding regular meetings leading up to data collection. During this time, we held reading groups about everyday multiculturalism to align and negotiate our conceptual understandings and debate the research instruments. We also conducted a pilot interview, whereby the project lead led the interview with others observing, followed by further discussion and negotiation before the main data generation.</p> <p>The interviews were auto-transcribed via Zoom and then checked and corrected by the team member who conducted the interview. In line with Riessman's ([<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref60">37</reflink>]), we took a thematic narrative analysis approach which focused primarily on identifying themes within the content and characters of the shared stories. After repeated readings by the lead researcher, the team held several meetings to discuss preliminarily identified themes within the data and between urban contexts. This led to the team developing an initial coding system to organise the large volume of stories by general topic or theme. This was followed by analysing the data chunks across interviews within each thematic code. After preliminary findings were identified, a final in-depth reading of each individual interview was conducted to assess for fit. The findings were presented to the funder (the DAAD) after this point for feedback and further refinement. The photographs shared by participants were included in each step as context for the stories shared about them.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-8">Limitations</hd> <p>As with any research design, our approach has limitations. The first is that the research team was based in the UK while participants were based in Germany, meaning some contextual knowledge may be missing. In several ways, though, this provided helpful opportunities to hear participants' stories as outsiders. We also attempted to counter this limitation by assigning one interviewer to one city and taking time for in-depth research about this context before data generation. The second consideration is that our research was conducted in English, which was not the first language of all participants and interviewers, meaning the findings may be affected by some nuance in storytelling being lost. This choice was practical, in that English is the primary language of our working practices and a shared language for our multilingual team. However, we also made this choice as most participants were studying on an English-language programme and many spoke German only limitedly, meaning English was also a shared language between participants. Third, we reflect on the challenges of online interviewing, which at times may have hampered our ability to develop rapport with participants. At the same time, though, we also reflect that the extra layer of anonymity through speaking online and at a distance supported some participants with feeling more willing to share personal experiences.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-9">Findings</hd> <p>Before data generation, we anticipated it might be difficult for participants to share stories about everyday multiculturalism. However, we were surprised by the ease with which nearly all participants could identify stories of everyday multiculturalism in practice, even before their photographic prompts were discussed. This was commonly identified through interacting with those from other cultures during everyday acts of transportation (buses, trains, etc.), shopping (groceries, restaurants, coffee shops, etc.), interactions with neighbours, or errands (picking up parcels, sending mail, printing, etc.). In our analysis, the ubiquity of everyday living encounters starkly contrasted with the narratives which paint international students as 'missing' (as in our literature review). The lens of everyday multiculturalism, then, provided new understandings of how international students' daily connections with their communities created valuable opportunities for multicultural learning.</p> <p>Across the stories shared, we identified that everyday interactions provided spaces for students and community members to identify commonalities, despite differences in their identities and life experiences. One example of this was a story shared by an international student who reflected on how petting someone's dog opened a door for discovering commonalities:... we met a family, a couple, and they were, like, middle-aged and had a small dog with them. So we just patted the dog and my boyfriend patted the dog and then we started talking with them and luckily they knew, like, a bit of English, and then they were asking about us. And it was so nice because I had just moved out and I was missing home, obviously, and she told us 'even my son is in the university, he is doing the same thing as what you're doing'. And in that way, she connected with us and even we felt the same connection....she gave us a hug and I felt like I miss my mother at that time. (International postgraduate student from India, living for three months in City 3)</p> <p>These experiences were similarly reflected by German students, particularly those who had moved from rural areas to larger cities, where the greater presence of multiculturalism opened new doors for self-reflection on their own cultural identities. This led one German student to reflect:I wouldn't say I've become an expert in somebody else's culture...but I'm trying to be a lot more open than I was before. I'm trying to not just stick to my bubble. (German undergraduate student with prior international living experience, living for one year in City 2)</p> <p>Small, everyday moments would likely not register in many research design approaches developed to investigate international students' experiences. However, the lens of everyday multiculturalism demonstrated how meaningful encounters nevertheless occur across cultures through daily life. Similarly, that stories of momentary interactions were so easily identifiable by participants when asked on the spot points to the potential meaning they hold as markers of multicultural learning, despite perhaps seeming meaningless.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-10">Broadening out recognised sites of encounter</hd> <p>One reconsideration that our everyday multicultural lens brought was opening out understandings of meaningful sites of multicultural encounter, moving beyond the spaces more traditionally in focus for research with international students. One illustrative example (Fig. 1) was shared in a photograph from one participant of the rubbish and recycling bins located outside their apartment, which they discussed symbolising a first encounter with German bureaucracy and with local German residents. Confusion over the rubbish bin system opened doors for first interactions with neighbours by asking them questions, with bins representing a meeting point of cultures and multicultural communication.</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 1 Rubbish bins as a site of encounter (taken by an international exchange student from Georgia, living for 8 months in City 3)</p> <p>This example shows how sites of encounter are frequently spaces that we may not assume would elicit meaningful or memorable experiences. Other examples shared by participants included post office counters, library printing stations, crosswalks, and ice cream stalls, among many others.</p> <p>For many international student participants, these everyday places symbolised opportunities for gaining new or greater cultural knowledge. For example, transportation was reflected on frequently by international students as spaces for learning about German values of timeliness:In Germany, they are very strict with that [time]. Like if you say, I'm meeting you at 3:00, it means 3:00 or 2:55 but never 3:01. I had to adapt. Like for example, if I have to take a train or bus or anything, and it leaves at 3:03 and I approach the station, but it's already 3:03, they won't wait for me. Sometimes it makes me very angry because I was like almost there, they saw me walking to the train but they would leave, because it's their time. So I had to adapt myself, I had to force myself. (international postgraduate student from Brazil with previous international living experience, living for three months in City 1)</p> <p>These stories demonstrated how everyday living leads to learning encounters, despite their banal or mundane quality. This adds to the literature which overwhelmingly focuses on notions such as friendship for proxies of connection, raising further considerations for how multicultural learning may also exist in more subtle and pedestrian ways. Experiences within the mundane, then, become additional opportunities for gaining meaningful insights into other cultures.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-11">(Literal) windows into other cultures</hd> <p>Broadening out recognised sites of encounter allowed for an understanding of connection through more subtle participation that may otherwise be assumed passive or 'parallel', such as observation. For some participants, everyday multiculturalism manifested through literal windows into society, such as one international postgraduate student from India (living for one year in City 2), who reflected on watching interactions in a nearby park through the window of the study space in their apartment. For others, this involved joining community activities as a passive participant, as described by one international student participant who listened in on a community singing event:I think it represents my experience well because this event happens once a month and every time it's a different song. So it sort of represents, like, having an ongoing relationship with the community or having some kind of routine opportunity to engage with different people. (international postgraduate student from the United Kingdom with previous international living experience, studying for 10 months in City 4)</p> <p>These experiences offer further windows for new imagined realities, whereby everyday encounters allowed participants to imagine themselves <emph>as German,</emph> placing themselves in the shoes of their fellow community members. One example was an international student who described their experiences on a busy train commute (Fig. 2) as follows:...this day was my first weekend. It was so full and it made me feel like part of them, going to somewhere else and traveling to somewhere else, and then on Sunday coming back home. (international postgraduate student from Brazil with previous international living experience, living for three months in City 1)</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 2 Everyday transportation as an imagined space of living 'like a local' (taken by an international postgraduate student from Brazil, living for 3 months in City 1)</p> <p>These observational experiences were similarly highlighted by German students, particularly those who had moved to a larger and more multicultural city for the first time. One participant, for example, described a new experience of living near a neighbourhood mosque:Next to where I live is a small mosque...something that I observed is how they interact with each other. There is prayer and then they eat ice cream afterwards, especially the small kids and I always walk past them and sometimes they also greet me and say hi (German undergraduate student with experience living abroad, living for three years in City 3)</p> <p>This participant later described how these observations eventually led them to join a football game with mosque attendees, highlighting how observation and passive encounters may provide avenues for increasing levels of comfort with other cultures by decreasing uncertainties and assumptions of 'strangeness'. While the literature often critiques (both home and international) students for their lack of multicultural friendships, we consider how acts of observation and passive participation provide alternative opportunities which may lead to meaningful exchange.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-12">Micro encounters as spaces for shared learning</hd> <p>Many of the stories shared by participants portrayed everyday interactions as a lens or even a conduit for shared learning and connection within their communities. It was here that we most prominently saw differences between those living in smaller and larger cities, offering varied opportunities and challenges for community interactions, as encapsulated by the two markets in Fig. 3. Larger cities were often characterised as offering wider ranges of opportunities or encounters and a greater sense of multiculturalism, while smaller cities were frequently described as offering better opportunities for more in-depth conversations with locals in more intimate settings.</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 3 A comparison of festivals in City 4 (small city) versus City 1 (large city) in Germany</p> <p>Festivals and markets, as pictured in Fig. 3, were a frequent point of discussion as spaces where transactional communications around purchasing items offered opportunities for multicultural and often intergenerational exchanges. For instance, one participant reflected on their experience speaking to a Christmas market stall keeper about German wine (international undergraduate student from Hong Kong, living for four years in City 3). These interactions with locals were described by many participants as 'really enthusiastic and they want to tell you about the culture of that city, and they want you to feel welcome' (international postgraduate student from India, studying for 10 months in City 1).</p> <p>It was within these discussions that we also saw examples of how friendships with peers from the same country or cultural background offered pathways towards discovering their local community together. This was portrayed through stories about encouraging one another to visit new sites, trying new activities in the community or ordering local cuisine together. These were encapsulated by the photographs and stories often shared by participants, which demonstrated collective cultural encounters (Fig. 4).</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 4 Groups of international students exploring their local community together</p> <p>This counters notions of international students as 'missing' from their local community, as is often framed through deficit narratives in the literature. Rather, this alternatively re-frames international students' connections with peers from the same country as tools of agency (e.g. Beech, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref61">1</reflink>]; Zhang &amp; Xu, [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref62">52</reflink>]), offering avenues for exploring the local community and culture together.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-13">Everyday interactions as confirmations of stereotypes</hd> <p>Although we have demonstrated predominantly positive experiences with interactions and transitions thus far, we recognise that everyday multiculturalism was not always a positive experience for participants. One additional consideration was the ways that everyday interactions were also spaces where students (both those categorised as international and home) confirmed stereotypes or biases they may have about other cultures. The 'everyday-ness' of these interactions often meant that they were by nature superficial, with limited opportunities for dismantling preconceived notions of others and often, instead, working to confirm them.</p> <p>We noted, for instance, that markers of cultural experiences were often stereotypical images of Germany and German culture. For example, participants shared many photographs of Christmas markets or stereotypically German architecture. This is encapsulated by Fig. 5, where, for one international student, a multicultural experience was found through football and beer.</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 5 Football and beer as markers of German culture (international undergraduate student from Hong Kong, living for four years in City 3)</p> <p>These examples are not inherently negative, as, after all, Christmas markets and football games are common German events which offer avenues for cultural learning, and beer is a well-known beverage produced in Germany that many visitors may wish to try. However, there are perhaps considerations for moving beyond what has been elsewhere called a 'tourist gaze' (Vinall &amp; Shin, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref63">45</reflink>]), meaning seeing a new culture solely through its stereotypical markers of difference.</p> <p>Brief exchanges through everyday multiculturalism may also exacerbate biases held by students about local community members. In our study, this was ubiquitous in reflections on encounters with perceptions of German directness, with participants often describing German locals using phrases such as 'blunt', 'rude', or 'too honest'. Nearly all participants labelled as international students shared stories of surprising interactions with local German residents, often occurring shortly after their arrival to the country. Here, we share one illustrative story:I was a bit nervous taking the bus for the first time, especially because usually the bus drivers here in [city] don't speak English or are very bad at English. So I tried to explain in broken German, like, I'd like to go to the university. And the bus driver told me, okay, it's €2.85. I said okay, here's four euro [coins], and she said no, no, no, €2.85. And I said, what do you mean? She said, I need exact change, the exact €2.85. I said okay, I'm sorry, so I gave it to her and told her, 'I'm sorry my German's not so good', and everything. And then she told me: 'It's not about your German, it's about your math.' I was like, okay, wow. Um. That's very nice of you, and I just walked away like...[laugh] (international postgraduate student from the United States, living for four years in City 4)</p> <p>Another participant shared their negative reactions to the lack of small talk in grocery stores and how this gave them a negative impression of German culture: 'people don't generally talk to each other' (international undergraduate student from Egypt, living in City 3 for an unknown length). Through sharing stories such as this, some participants were reflective of the need to unlearn stereotypes that arose from first encounters within their local communities (for example, by disassociating 'directness' and 'rudeness'). There was a temporal dimension to this, whereby negative experiences shortly after arrival were reconsidered after more time in interaction with Germans. This raises the importance of reflective spaces which allow students to unpack initial perceptions of rudeness to move towards seeing this, instead, as variable cultural ways of communicating.</p> <p>Similar experiences were reflected by German students, whose everyday encounters with those from other countries at university or through work led them to reflect on how their communication style may be perceived by those from different backgrounds. For instance:In my workplace, we had a problem with there was an issue with someone from England and I didn't learn so much about English culture, but I learned a lot about German culture from that. We are very direct and sometimes it could be we are considered a little bit rude. Because we had this problem... and I directly confronted him and I was saying okay there's a problem and basically it was his fault, and he was a little bit offended by it...he was a little bit shocked by my direct approach. (German undergraduate student from a nearby city, living for two years in City 4)</p> <p>Everyday multiculturalism offered first opportunities for both international and home students to reflect on their identities and varied ways of communication. Together, these examples highlighted how everyday multiculturalism provides avenues for reflections of self and others. Yet at the same time, interactions may confirm stereotypes without opportunities for dismantling, unlearning, and reflecting on alternative explanations for perceived behaviours.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-14">Everyday interactions as sites of xenophobia and racism</hd> <p>The literature highlights that everyday encounters are spaces where racism and xenophobia frequently occur through 'everyday otherness' (Radford, [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref64">34</reflink>]). In our study, some participants raised concerns about racism and xenophobia in their local communities, particularly international student participants from outside the EU and Anglophone countries. This was often a consideration even before arrival, whereby many participants discussed how their choice of city to study in Germany was made through considerations about perceived tolerance, the presence of existing diasporic communities, or perceived risk levels of xenophobia, racism, or religious persecution.</p> <p>These concerns were actualised in the experiences of some participants, who highlighted everyday interactions such as:Sometimes older people, I only encounter it rarely, but I have had bad experiences when they look at me as if it was a strange person. They asked me, 'where are you from?', but in rude a way. (international postgraduate student from Mexico with prior international living experience, living for three years in City 4)</p> <p>Similar experiences were noted regarding international students' treatment in everyday interactions, such as aggressive comments received on transportation or in shops. These reflections were particularly more dominant in smaller cities with less cultural diversity or cities located in the east of Germany, where far-right views have had a stronger history and prevalence.</p> <p>For some, recognition of racism and xenophobia framed understandings of their local communities. For instance, one participant highlighted while sharing her learning experiences visiting a local church (Fig. 6) that: 'I also heard of similar experiences where people like neo-fascist groups are meeting in front of these exact temples that I just showed you' (international exchange student from Slovakia with prior international living experiences, living for 5 months in City 1).</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 6 Photograph shared as an example of both multicultural interaction and a site of neo-fascist demonstrations</p> <p>Together, these examples demonstrate the dual role of everyday multiculturalism, as spaces of potentially meaningful multicultural interaction and learning which are simultaneously framed through experiences of and uncertainties about bias, prejudice, xenophobia, and racism.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-15">Discussion and conclusion</hd> <p>Everyday multiculturalism (Wise &amp; Velayutham, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref65">49</reflink>]) has provided a valuable lens for reconsidering (international) students' social experiences within their local communities, highlighting how small, everyday acts of daily living symbolise valuable sites of encounter for multicultural learning and exchange. A key contribution of this research is that the stories provided by international students are counter-narratives to framings which render them as 'parallel' (Cao et al., [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref66">7</reflink>]; Gomes, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref67">12</reflink>]) or 'unable to fully participate' (Zhao, [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref68">53</reflink>]) in their local communities. Through everyday multiculturalism, we argue that international students are not <emph>parallel</emph> to their local multicultural societies, they both <emph>are</emph> multicultural society and interact within it every day. The presence of international students, therefore, increases sites of encounter for multiculturalism within their local communities by providing additional pathways towards interactions between different people, cultures, and spaces (Spijkers &amp; Loopmans, [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref69">42</reflink>]). In light of this, we argue that scholars should move beyond seeing proxies such as friendship as sole markers of connection, broadening out potential sites of multicultural encounter into spaces as banal as rubbish bins (as highlighted in Fig. 1).</p> <p>There is a wide range of research which evaluates nuanced experiences of everyday multiculturalism through (micro)sites of encounter in local communities (e.g., K. Bennett et al., [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref70">3</reflink>]; Bovo et al., [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref71">5</reflink>]; Oke et al., [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref72">33</reflink>]; Wise &amp; Velayutham, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref73">49</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref74">50</reflink>]). This has been limitedly applied in education-related research, and those that do are typically limited to schools or campuses as sites of evaluation (e.g. Ho, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref75">14</reflink>]; Mallman et al., [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref76">26</reflink>]; Meetoo, [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref77">28</reflink>]). Our research has expanded this lens by considering the interactions and intersections that international students have with their local communities beyond campus and the ways that students' lives are more nuanced than the division of 'off campus' and 'on campus'. While our work was exploratory and not centred on specific sites or places, this opens up future research considerations which can develop in-depth evaluations of particular sites of encounter, in line with previous research on everyday multiculturalism (e.g. K. Bennett et al., [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref78">3</reflink>]; Bovo et al., [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref79">5</reflink>]).</p> <p>As part of this study design, we included a small number of home (German) students as participants. This was purposeful, given recent critiques about artificial dichotomies created between home and international students through research and practice (e.g., S. Bennett et al., [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref80">4</reflink>]). Doing so allowed us to evaluate how encounters with everyday multiculturalism are not limited to international students. German students as well were navigating the nuances of living in a multicultural community, some, such as those from rural areas, perhaps for the first time. This highlights everyday multiculturalism as a shared project for all who live within a community or society, as evaluated in research outside of educational spaces (Oke et al., [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref81">33</reflink>]; Valentine, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref82">44</reflink>]). We, therefore, argue that research which seeks only to evaluate the multicultural encounters of international students fails to see the full picture of collective and comparative experiences and spaces.</p> <p>A major question at the heart of our study, which we contribute back to existing scholarship, is whether everyday multiculturalism is <emph>meaningful</emph>. After all, the encounters we have outlined in our findings are by nature time-limited, brief, and may be viewed in isolation as superficial. However, the immediacy with which participants were able to discuss everyday encounters points to their conceptualisations of these interactions as spaces for learning about their new communities and about themselves. While individually these micro-encounters are mundane (Dixon et al., [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref83">9</reflink>]), collectively they develop a worldview through which students personally define multiculturalism and their place within it. Therefore, we urge for a new research agenda which focuses specifically on the mundane, thinking beyond grand narratives such as friendship to consider the ways that the seemingly meaning<emph>less</emph> becomes personally meaning<emph>ful</emph>.</p> <p>That is not to say, however, that all everyday experiences are positive. We have highlighted the intersections of everyday interactions with everyday otherness (Radford, [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref84">34</reflink>]), particularly when international students experienced racism and/or xenophobia in their local communities. While international students' experiences with racism and/or xenophobia on campus are a growing research focus (see, for example, George Mwangi et al., [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref85">11</reflink>]; Lee et al., [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref86">22</reflink>]), we suggest there is scope for more in-depth analysis of these experiences beyond campus and in students' local communities. Additionally, there is a need for more research from the perspectives of local residents, as at present little is known about their perspectives towards international students and their growing presence in their communities. A greater understanding of this may point to areas in need of targeted interventions and bridge-building, where universities could lead the way in dismantling existing biases, prejudices, racism, and xenophobia present in local communities and impacting students' experiences.</p> <p>As research with international students develops into a distinct interdisciplinary subfield (Mittelmeier et al., [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref87">30</reflink>]) there are increased calls for approaching research through lenses which resist deficit narratives (Lomer et al., [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref88">25</reflink>]) and Othering (Liu &amp; Qian, [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref89">24</reflink>]). In this study, we have shown how purposefully seeking alternative conceptual frameworks, in our case everyday multiculturalism, provides toolkits for reconceptualising common and tired narratives about international students. This approach can be replicated by future scholars by utilising conceptual frameworks from other disciplines which perhaps have been limitedly explored in research with international students or in education sites more broadly. Using an alternative lens provided us a platform for asking new questions, as we were left wondering how international students can be perceived as 'missing' from their local communities when they exist within it and when their everyday lives are constantly intersecting it. Therefore, we suggest that future research on this topic can continue to seek alternative frameworks which reconsider and counter deficit narratives of international students. Specific to our work, we argue for the value of seeing the mundane as a new space for research with (international) students, in consideration for how societal impacts are developed, negotiated, and maintained through the monotony of daily life.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-16">Acknowledgements</hd> <p>We are grateful to colleagues at the DAAD (particularly Jan Kercher), the University of Manchester's Higher Education Research Network (HERE), the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE), and the Research with International Students (RIS) network for feedback on our work in progress while developing this article.</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-17">Funding</hd> <p>This work was supported by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service: DAAD), (grant number DAAD-S15-2021-U-Manchester).</p> <hd id="AN0190548565-18">Publisher's Note</hd> <p>Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.</p> <ref id="AN0190548565-19"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref15" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Beech SE. Negotiating the complex geographies of friendships overseas: Becoming, being and sharing in student mobility. Geoforum. 2018; 92: 18-25. 10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.03.019</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" idref="ref5" type="bt">2</bibl> <bibtext> Bender M, van Osch Y, Sleegers W, Ye M. Social support benefits psychological adjustment of international students: Evidence from a meta-analysis. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 2019; 50; 7: 827-847. 10.1177/0022022119861151</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib3" idref="ref70" type="bt">3</bibl> <bibtext> Bennett K, Gardner Z, De Sabbata S. Digital geographies of everyday multiculturalism: "Let"s go Nando's!'. Social &amp; Cultural Geography. 2023; 24; 8: 1458-1477. 10.1080/14649365.2022.2065699</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib4" idref="ref55" type="bt">4</bibl> <bibtext> Bennett S, Ichikawa A, Lin Y, Pannirselvam M, Uerpairojkit TMittelmeier J, Lomer S, Unkule K. Working towards inclusive definitions of international students: Reflecting, refiguring and reconceptualising as international students and researchers. Research with International Students. 2024; Routledge: 11-20</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib5" idref="ref42" type="bt">5</bibl> <bibtext> Bovo M, Briata P, Bricocoli M. A bus as a compressed public space: Everyday multiculturalism in Milan. Urban Studies. 2023; 60; 15: 2979-2993. 10.1177/00420980221107518</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib6" idref="ref58" type="bt">6</bibl> <bibtext> Brannen J. Life story talk: Some reflections on narrative in qualitative interviews. Sociological Research Online. 2013; 18; 2: 48-58. 10.5153/sro.2884</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib7" idref="ref29" type="bt">7</bibl> <bibtext> Cao C, Zhu C, Meng Q. Predicting Chinese international students' acculturation strategies from socio-demographic variables and social ties. Asian Journal of Social Psychology. 2017; 20; 2: 85-96. 10.1111/ajsp.12171</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib8" idref="ref11" type="bt">8</bibl> <bibtext> Chang S, Gomes C, Platt M, Trumpour S, McKay D, Alzougool B. Mapping the contours of digital journeys: A study of international students' social networks in Australian higher education. Higher Education Research &amp; Development. 2022; 41; 6: 1821-1837. 10.1080/07294360.2021.1962812</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib9" idref="ref43" type="bt">9</bibl> <bibtext> Dixon J, Durrheim K, Tredoux C. Beyond the optimal contact strategy-A reality check for the contact hypothesis. American Psychologist. 2005; 60; 7: 697-711. 10.1037/0003-066X.60.7.697</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Gareis E. Intercultural friendship: Effects of home and host region. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication. 2012; 5; 4: 309-328. 10.1080/17513057.2012.691525</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> George Mwangi, C. A, Changamire, N, &amp; Mosselson, J. (2019). An intersectional understanding of African international graduate students' experiences in U.S. higher education. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 12(1), 52–64. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000076</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Gomes C. Negotiating everyday life in Australia: Unpacking the parallel society inhabited by Asian international students through their social networks and entertainment media use. Journal of Youth Studies. 2015; 18; 4: 515-536. 10.1080/13676261.2014.992316</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Hendrickson B, Rosen D, Aune RK. An analysis of friendship networks, social connectedness, homesickness, and satisfaction levels of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations. 2011; 35; 3: 281-295. 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2010.08.001</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Ho C. Respecting the presence of others: School micropublics and everyday multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies. 2011; 32; 6: 603-619. 10.1080/07256868.2011.618106</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Huang ZM. A critical understanding of students' intercultural experience: Non-essentialism and epistemic justice. Intercultural Education. 2022; 33; 3: 247-263. 10.1080/14675986.2022.2069393</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Hutter S, Kriesi H. Politicising immigration in times of crisis. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 2022; 48; 2: 341-365. 10.1080/1369183X.2020.1853902</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> ICEF. (2023). International enrolments in German higher education rise again for a new record. ICEF. https://monitor.icef.com/2023/10/international-enrolments-in-german-higher-education-rise-again-for-a-new-record/</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Kende J, Phalet K, Van den Noortgate W, Kara A, Fischer R. Equality revisited: A cultural meta-analysis of intergroup contact and prejudice. Social Psychological and Personality Science. 2018; 9; 8: 887-895. 10.1177/1948550617728993</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Klarenbeek LM. Reconceptualising "integration as a two-way process". Migration Studies. 2021; 9; 3: 902-921. 10.1093/migration/mnz033</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Kudo K, Volet S, Whitsed C. Intercultural relationship development at university: A systematic literature review from an ecological and person-in-context perspective. Educational Research Review. 2017; 20: 99-116. 10.1016/j.edurev.2017.01.001</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Leask B. Using formal and informal curricula to improve interactions between home and international students. Journal of Studies in International Education. 2009; 13; 2: 205-211. 10.1177/102831530832978</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Lee J, Jon J-E, Byun K. Neo-racism and neo-nationalism within East Asia: The experiences of international students in South Korea. Journal of Studies in International Education. 2017; 21; 2: 136-155. 10.1177/1028315316669903</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Li L, Peng W. Transitioning through social media: International students' SNS use, perceived social support, and acculturative stress. Computers in Human Behavior. 2019; 98: 69-79. 10.1016/j.chb.2019.03.011</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Liu Y, Qian YMittelmeier J, Lomer S, Unkule K. Causes, mechanisms and consequences of othering international students in higher education. Research with International Students. 2024; Routledge: 54-63</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Lomer S, Taha SH, Hayes AMittelmeier J, Lomer S, Unkule K. Deficit narratives in research on international students. Research with International Students. 2023; Routledge: 74-84. 10.4324/9781003290803-10</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Mallman M, Harvey A, Szalkowicz G, Moran A. Campus convivialities: Everyday cross-cultural interactions and symbolic boundaries of belonging in higher education. Studies in Higher Education. 2021; 46; 7: 1449-1461. 10.1080/03075079.2019.1685484</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> McKenzie L, Baldassar L. Missing friendships: Understanding the absent relationships of local and international students at an Australian university. Higher Education. 2017; 74; 4: 701-715. 10.1007/s10734-016-0073-1</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Meetoo V. Negotiating the diversity of "everyday" multiculturalism: Teachers' enactments in an inner city secondary school. Race Ethnicity and Education. 2020; 23; 2: 261-279. 10.1080/13613324.2018.1497962</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Mittelmeier, J. (2025). Against 'integration' in research and practice with international students. Journal of Studies in International Education (in press).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Mittelmeier, J, Lomer, S, &amp; Unkule, K. (Eds). (2024). Research with international students: Critical conceptual and methodological considerations. Routledge.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Nada CMittelmeier J, Lomer S, Unkule K. Reflecting on international students' voices and experiences in qualitative data: A narrative approach. Research with International Students. 2024; Routledge: 235-243</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> OECD. (2023). International student mobility data. https://data.oecd.org/students/international-student-mobility.htm</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Oke N, Sonn CC, McConville C. Making a place in Footscray: Everyday multiculturalism, ethnic hubs and segmented geography. Identities. 2018; 25; 3: 320-338. 10.1080/1070289X.2016.1233880</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Radford D. "Everyday otherness"–Intercultural refugee encounters and everyday multiculturalism in a South Australian rural town. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 2016; 42; 13: 2128-2145. 10.1080/1369183X.2016.1179107</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Richard VM, Lahman MKE. Photo-elicitation: Reflexivity on method, analysis, and graphic portraits. International Journal of Research &amp; Method in Education. 2015; 38; 1: 3-22. 10.1080/1743727X.2013.843073</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Rienties B, Héliot Y, Jindal-Snape D. Understanding social learning relations of international students in a large classroom using social network analysis. Higher Education. 2013; 66; 4: 489-504. 10.1007/s10734-013-9617-9</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Riessman, C. K. (2023). Narrative methods for the human sciences. SAGE.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Said, E. (1978). Orientalism: Western concepts of the Orient. Penguin.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Schartner A. "You cannot talk with all of the strangers in a pub": A longitudinal case study of international postgraduate students' social ties at a British university. Higher Education. 2015; 69; 2: 225-241. 10.1007/s10734-014-9771-8</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Schinkel W. Against "immigrant integration": For an end to neocolonial knowledge production. Comparative Migration Studies. 2018; 6; 1: 31. 10.1186/s40878-018-0095-1</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Spencer-Oatey H, Dauber D, Jing J, Lifei W. Chinese students' social integration into the university community: Hearing the students' voices. Higher Education. 2017; 74; 5: 739-756. 10.1007/s10734-016-0074-0</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Spijkers FE, Loopmans M. Meaningful intercultural contact: How different places pave the way for learning to live together in diversity. Social &amp; Cultural Geography. 2020; 21; 8: 1146-1167. 10.1080/14649365.2018.1541246</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Thies T, Falk S. International students in higher education: Extracurricular activities and social interactions as predictors of university belonging. Research in Higher Education. 2023; 64: 1143-1164. 10.1007/s11162-023-09734-x</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Valentine G. Living with difference: Reflections on geographies of encounter. Progress in Human Geography. 2008; 32; 3: 323-337. 10.1177/0309133308089372</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Vinall K, Shin J. The construction of the tourist gaze in English textbooks in South Korea: Exploring the tensions between internationalisation and nationalisation. Language, Culture and Curriculum. 2019; 32; 2: 173-190. 10.1080/07908318.2018.1513022</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Viola FLa Barbera M. Negotiation of identities and negotiation of values in multicultural societies. Identity and migration in Europe: Multidisciplinary perspectives. 2015; Springer: 29-36. 10.1007/978-3-319-10127-9_3</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Volet SE, Ang G. Culturally mixed groups on international campuses: An opportunity for inter-cultural learning. Higher Education Research &amp; Development. 1998; 17; 1: 5-23. 10.1080/0729436980170101</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Willoughby-Knox B, Yates L. Working toward connectedness: Local and international students' perspectives on intercultural communication and friendship-forming. Higher Education Research &amp; Development. 2022; 41; 7: 2506-2522. 10.1080/07294360.2021.1985087</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Wise A, Velayutham S. Everyday multiculturalism. 2009; Palgrave Macmillan. 10.1057/9780230244474</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Wise A, Velayutham S. Conviviality in everyday multiculturalism: Some brief comparisons between Singapore and Sydney. European Journal of Cultural Studies. 2014; 17; 4: 406-430. 10.1177/1367549413510419</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Yu, Y, &amp; Moskal, M. (2019). Missing intercultural engagements in the university experiences of Chinese international students in the UK. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 49(4), 654–671. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2018.1448259</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Zhang S, Xu CL. The making of transnational distinction: An embodied cultural capital perspective on Chinese women students' mobility. British Journal of Sociology of Education. 2020; 41; 8: 1251-1267. 10.1080/01425692.2020.1804836</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Zhao, X. (2017). International students and social exclusion in the age of social media. Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration, 1(2), 163–175. https://doi.org/10.1386/tjtm.1.2.163_1</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Jenna Mittelmeier; Daian Huang; Limanzi Xu; Mumine Ozturk and Karen Broadhurst Healey</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib32" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib17" firstref="ref2"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref3"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib47" firstref="ref4"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib27" firstref="ref6"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib12" firstref="ref7"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib23" firstref="ref8"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib43" firstref="ref9"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib36" firstref="ref10"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib53" firstref="ref13"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib25" firstref="ref14"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib49" firstref="ref16"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref17"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl14" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref18"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl15" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref19"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl16" bibid="bib39" firstref="ref21"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl17" bibid="bib41" firstref="ref22"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl18" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref23"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl19" bibid="bib51" firstref="ref26"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl20" bibid="bib48" firstref="ref28"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl21" bibid="bib40" firstref="ref31"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl22" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref32"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl23" bibid="bib29" firstref="ref34"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl24" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref35"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl25" bibid="bib50" firstref="ref37"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl26" bibid="bib46" firstref="ref38"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl27" bibid="bib33" firstref="ref41"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl28" bibid="bib14" firstref="ref46"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl29" bibid="bib42" firstref="ref47"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl30" bibid="bib44" firstref="ref48"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl31" bibid="bib34" firstref="ref49"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl32" bibid="bib38" firstref="ref50"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl33" bibid="bib28" firstref="ref52"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl34" bibid="bib26" firstref="ref53"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl35" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref54"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl36" bibid="bib30" firstref="ref56"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl37" bibid="bib31" firstref="ref57"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl38" bibid="bib35" firstref="ref59"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl39" bibid="bib37" firstref="ref60"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl40" bibid="bib52" firstref="ref62"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl41" bibid="bib45" firstref="ref63"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl42" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref85"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl43" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref86"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl44" bibid="bib24" firstref="ref89"></nolink> |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ1500658 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: International Students and Everyday Multiculturalism: Rethinking 'Connection' through Mundane Sites of Encounter – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jenna+Mittelmeier%22">Jenna Mittelmeier</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6037-822X">0000-0002-6037-822X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Daian+Huang%22">Daian Huang</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Limanzi+Xu%22">Limanzi Xu</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mumine+Ozturk%22">Mumine Ozturk</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Karen+Broadhurst+Healey%22">Karen Broadhurst Healey</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Higher+Education%3A+The+International+Journal+of+Higher+Education+Research%22"><i>Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education Research</i></searchLink>. 2025 90(6):1635-1654. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 20 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Students%22">Foreign Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+Pluralism%22">Cultural Pluralism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Students%22">College Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stranger+Reactions%22">Stranger Reactions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Racism%22">Racism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stereotypes%22">Stereotypes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Experience%22">Student Experience</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community%22">Community</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Germany%22">Germany</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1007/s10734-025-01396-1 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 0018-1560<br />1573-174X – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Dominant narratives of international students in the existing literature paint them as 'missing' or living 'in parallel' to their local communities, predominantly through evaluating the composition of their friendship networks. In this study, we query whether the use of a new conceptual framework can provide alternative explanations for these deficit framings. Using the lens of 'everyday multiculturalism', we explore instead how (international) students encounter, enact, and engage with multiculturalism in their local communities in more micro ways through banal acts of daily living. This has been developed through interviews with 41 international and home students across four cities in Germany, using a photo elicitation method and centring narrative storytelling. This study finds that micro sites of encounter, such as rubbish bins and bus rides, are symbolised by students as meaningful spaces of multicultural encounter and learning. We further reflect on how everyday multiculturalism holds a dual function as a site of experienced xenophobia and racism, as well as spaces where stereotypes are confirmed. Together this highlights the value of alternative conceptual frameworks for critiquing deficit framings of international students' connections to multicultural societies by highlighting how they are multicultural society. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2026 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1500658 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1500658 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10734-025-01396-1 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 20 StartPage: 1635 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Foreign Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Cultural Pluralism Type: general – SubjectFull: College Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Stranger Reactions Type: general – SubjectFull: Racism Type: general – SubjectFull: Stereotypes Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Experience Type: general – SubjectFull: Community Type: general – SubjectFull: Germany Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: International Students and Everyday Multiculturalism: Rethinking 'Connection' through Mundane Sites of Encounter Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jenna Mittelmeier – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Daian Huang – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Limanzi Xu – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Mumine Ozturk – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Karen Broadhurst Healey IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0018-1560 – Type: issn-electronic Value: 1573-174X Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 90 – Type: issue Value: 6 Titles: – TitleFull: Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education Research Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
