Racialized experiences and perspectives of international students enrolled in a Christian University: A preliminary qualitative analysis

Research regarding the experiences and perspectives of international students at Christian institutions around race and racism remains underdeveloped. As a preliminary, qualitative investigation, the current study explored the experiences and perspectives of 10 international students enrolled at a Christian institution located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Themes that emerged included perspectives on how race is viewed in their country of origin, reports of racialized experiences in the U.S., perspectives on how racial conversations might be improved, views on how education has contributed to more activism and a sense of personal responsibility, religion’s role in racial justice, and media’s role in racial justice. The findings point to the value of highlighting the experiences of international students at Christian institutions, and they point to some promising implications for those in Christian higher education working to help international students flourish.