Conversations and confusions: ethnic and racial identity exploration in a high school asian culture club

This study investigates the identity exploration of Asian American students in an Asian Culture Club (ACC) at a predominantly white high school in Atlanta, Georgia. While past work focuses on similar ethnic student clubs, this study uniquely documents the processes of identity and community construction. Using participant observations and in-depth interviews, I show that student members of ACC explore and co-construct a panethnic Asian identity while downplaying ethnic boundaries. ACC serves as a community and connect student members to the broader Asian American community in the city and beyond. As the club later transitions into Asian Student Union, the students' shared panethnic attachment and co-constructed community will now serve as the ground for future panethnic solidarity. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.