•  
  •  
 

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1730-2083

Keywords

Racialization, international students, Southeast and South Asia, NSP, Taiwan

Special Issue

Examining Race, Racism, and Racialization in the Internationalization of Higher Education from Global Perspectives

Abstract

This paper critically examines how race and racialization shape the socio-cultural adjustment experiences of international students from New Southbound policy (NSP) countries in Taiwan. Drawing from a qualitative part conducted for my master’s thesis, which explored the coping strategies and adjustment processes of seven students from Southeast and South Asia through semi-structured interview, I reframe the data to center race as an analytical lens using the conceptual framework proposed by Glasgow (2009) which explains that racialization as the process through which social meanings are attached to perceived cultural or bodily differences, creating and maintaining hierarchies among groups. and Brondolo et al. (2009) framework which helped to describe the micro-level strategies students use to negotiate these challenges. Finding revealed that although Taiwan’s internationalization policies, such as the New Southbound Policy, promote regional academic mobility, students’ narratives reveal that racialization continues to shape their everyday experiences.

References

Anshul, G. K. (2024, March 5). Taiwan apologises for Minister’s remarks on Indian migrant workers. India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/taiwan-apologises-labour-minister-remarks-indian-migrant-workers-skin-tones-diet-2511031-2024-03-05

 Antonio, I. C. F., & Lee, P.-H. (2024). ‘What if I get sick?’ Healthcare (non)decisions of overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan. Social Science & Medicine, 358, Article 117268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117268

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Brondolo, E., Brady ver Halen, N., Pencille, M., Beatty, D., & Contrada, R. J. (2009). Coping with racism: A selective review of the literature and a theoretical and methodological critique. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32(1),

64-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-008-9193-0

Chan, S. J. (2012). Shifting patterns of student mobility in Asia. Higher Education Policy, 25(2), 207–224. https://doi.org/10.1057/hep.2012.3

Chang, D. F., & Lin, N. J. (2018). Applying CIPO indicators to examine internationalization in higher education institutions in Taiwan. International Journal of Educational Development, 63, 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2017.12.007

Chen, M. (2022, February 22). Among international students studying in Taiwan, Indians are the fastest growing group. The Week. https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2022/02/22/among-international-students-studying-in-taiwan-indians-are-the-fastest-growing-group.html

Chen, T. Y., Yen, Y. M., Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao, M., & Sonoda, S. (2024). Unpacking Asian Identity in Taiwan: An Empirical Study of Taiwanese University Students' Perceptions of Asia. International Journal of China Studies, 15(2), 11–39. https://doi.org/10.22452/ijcs.vol15no2.2

Chen, Y. L., Liu, M. C., Tsai, T. W., & Chen, Y. H. (2015). Religious practices in cross-cultural contexts: Indonesian male science students’ adjustment in Taiwan. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62(3), 464–475. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000076

Chew, M. M. T., & Mo, S. P. S. (2019). Towards a Chinese hip-hop feminism and a feminist reassessment of hip-hop with breakdance: B-girling in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. Asian Studies Review, 43(3), 455–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2019.1631256

Chih-Chung, C., & Hsin-Yin, L. (2025, September 5). Taiwan's foreign student number climbs back toward pre-COVID level: MOE. Focus Taiwan. Retrieved from https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/202509050015

Cho, J. & Yu, H. (2015). Roles of university support for international students in the United States: Analysis of a systematic model of university identification, university support, and psychological well-being. Journal of Studies in International Education, 19(1), 11–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315314533606

Crenshaw, K. W. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039

EF Education First. (2018). EF English Proficiency Index. https://www.ef.com/assetscdn/WIBIwq6RdJvcD9bc8RMd/cefcom-epi-site/reports/2018/ef-epi-2018-english.pdf

EF Education First. (2019). EF English Proficiency Index.

https://www.ef.com/assetscdn/WIBIwq6RdJvcD9bc8RMd/cefcom-epi-site/reports/2019/ef-epi-2019-english.pdf

Focus Taiwan - CNA English News. (2025, September 5). Taiwan’s foreign student number climbs back toward pre-COVID level: MOE. Focus Taiwan - CNA English News. https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/202509050015

Garima. (2021). A study on socio-cultural adjustment and coping strategies of Southbound Policy countries’ international students in Taiwan (master’s thesis). International Master’s Program of Learning and Instruction, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan. https://hdl.handle.net/11296/tv5ggh

Glaser, B. S., Kennedy, S., & Mitchell, D. (2018). The new southbound policy: Deepening Taiwan’s regional integration. Rowman & Littlefield.

Glasgow, J. (2009). A theory of race. New York, NY: Routledge

Glasgow, J. (2009). Racism as disrespect. Ethics, 120(1), 64–93. https://doi.org/10.1086/648588

Hioe, B. (2018, June 23). Outrage following discrimination against non-white English teachers at kindergarten. New Bloom Magazine. https://newbloommag.net/2018/06/23/kang-chiao-racism/

Ho, P.-C., & Svensson, C. F. (2022). Experiences of ethnic discrimination: Potentials for social change in Taiwan. In C. F. Svensson & P. Ringø (Eds.), Revitalising critical reflection in contemporary social work research, practice and education (pp. 66–79).. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003248057

Huang, H., & Chang, Y. (2011). The relationship between international students’ and cross-cultural adaptation and dominant language in Taiwan. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(7), 137–145.

Hughey, M. W., Embrick, D. G., & Doane, A. W. (2015). Paving the way for future race research: Exploring the racial mechanisms within a color-blind, racialized social system. American Behavioral Scientist, 59(11), 1347–1357.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764215591033

Kheir, Z. (2021). Cultural bridges and reimagined geographies: International students navigating and engaging the complex cultures present in the academic world of Taiwan. Research in Comparative and International Education, 16(3), 209–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/17454999211038773

Kuo, Y. H. (2011). Language challenges faced by international graduate students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 1(2), 38–42. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v1i2.551

Lan, P. C. (2003). "They have more money but I speak better English!" Transnational encounters between Filipina domestics and Taiwanese employers. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 10(2), 133–161.

            https://doi.org/10.1080/10702890304325

Lan, S. W. (2018). Exploring the academic English socialization of international graduate students in Taiwan. Journal of International Students, 8(4), 1748–1763.

https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i4.229  

Lee, J. J., & Rice, C. (2007). Welcome to America? International student perceptions of discrimination. Higher Education, 53(3), 381-409.

Li, E. P., Min, H.J., Belk, R.W., Kimura, J & Bahl, S. (2008). Skin Lightening and Beauty in Four Asian Cultures. Advances in Consumer Research, 35, 444–449.

http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/13415/volumes/v35/NA-35

Li, Y. T. (2025). ‘Black self-serve’: the depreciation of blackness and racialized vision among Taiwanese netizens. Information, Communication & Society, 28(10), 1779–1798.

https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2346542                           

Lin, C. F., & Shih, Y. H. (2025). Place identity among Vietnamese women in Taiwan: educational challenges and opportunities for integration. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1703995. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1703995

Lin, H. M., & Sung, Y. H. (2020). Experiences of International Students from the New Southbound Policy Countries in Taiwan: Their Motivations and Negotiations of Cultural Differences. Journal of Research in Education Sciences, 65(3), 81–122.

            https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202009_65(3).0004

Lin, R. (2025, February 25). Number of foreign students in Taiwan at five-year high. Taipei Times. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/02/25/200383246

 Lin, S. (2022). Negotiating language choice in multilingual lab meetings: Voices from domestic and international students in Taiwan. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(1), 117–130.

Liu, T., Sato, Y., & Breaden, J. (2023). Factors influencing international students' trajectories: a comparative study of Chinese students in Japan and Australia. International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, 25(1), 23–39. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCED-08-2022-0060

Mack, (2010). The philosophical underpinnings of educational research. Polyglossia, 19, 5–11. https://doi.org/10.34382/00011581

Mahmud, Z., Amat, S., Rahman, S., & Ishak, N. M. (2010). Challenges for international students in Malaysia: Culture, climate and care. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 7, 289–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.10.040

Mandell, N., Phonepraseuth, J., Borras, J., & Lam, L. (2022). South Asian and Chinese international students in Canada: The role of social connections in their settlement and integration. Comparative and International Education, 51(1), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.5206/cieeci.v51i1.14220

Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2015). Qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Mesidor, J. K., & Sly, K. F. (2015). Factors that contribute to the adjustment of international students. Journal of International Students, 6(1), 262–282. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v6i1.569

Ministry of Education. (2009). An Introduction to The Taiwan Scholarship Program. https://english.moe.gov.tw/public/Attachment/911414563571.pdf

Ministry of Education. (2020a). Partnering for Strength: Vel Tech in India to set up a Taiwan Education Centre. https://english.moe.gov.tw/cp-117-24228-1339a-1.html

Ministry of Education. (2020b). Taiwan Education Centers Hold First Online Taiwan Higher Education Fair in Indonesia. https://english.moe.gov.tw/cp-117-24170-1d794-1.html

Ministry of Education, Taiwan. (2020c). Ministry of Education officially launches “International Education for Primary and Secondary Schools White Paper 2.0” https://english.moe.gov.tw/cp-117-22986-4d06d-1.html

Ministry of Education, Taiwan. (2024). International comparison of education statistics (2024 edition). Department of Statistics, Ministry of Education. https://stats.moe.gov.tw/bookcase/International_Comparison/113/index.html

Murji, K., & Solomos, J. (2005). Introduction: Racialization in theory and practice (pp. 1–27). Oxford University Press.

National Taiwan University, Office of International Affairs. (2025). Statistics. https://isss.ntu.edu.tw/about/statistics

O’Connor, S. (2018). Problematising strategic internationalisation: Tensions and conflicts between international student recruitment and integration policy in Ireland. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 16(3), 339–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2017.1413979

Reynolds, A. L., & Constantine, M. G. (2007). Cultural adjustment difficulties and career development of international college students. Journal of Career Assessment, 15(3), 338–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072707301218

Rienties, B., Beausaert, S., Grohnert, T., Niemantsverdriet, S. & Kommers, P. (2012). Understanding academic performance of international students: The role of ethnicity, academic and social integration. Higher Education, 63(6), 685–700. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-011-9468-1

Sensoy, Ö., & DiAngelo, R. (2017). Is everyone really equal?: An introduction to key concepts in social justice education (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.

Sills, S. J., & Chowthi, N. (2008). Becoming an OFW: Renegotiations in self-concept among Filipino factory workers in Taiwan. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 17(2), 189–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/011719680801700204

Sodusta, D. J. P., Setiawan, R., & Setiawan, B. (2018, July). Navigating New Waters: Indonesian Muslims Practicing Islam in A Taiwanese University. In Proceedings of the Mathematics, Informatics, Science, and Education International Conference (MISEIC 2018) (pp. 13–17). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/miseic-18.2018.4

Strong, M. (2025, September 5). Taiwan News. Vietnam tops list of foreign students in Taiwan higher education. Taiwan News. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6194558

Sung, Y. H., & Lin, H. M. (2018). Taiwanese students’ considering factors and practical suggestions toward studying abroad in New Southbound Policy countries. Asian Social Science, 14(10), 75–90. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v14n10p75

Svensson, C. F. (2022). Beyond authoritarianism: Migration, social change and sense of belonging among public intellectuals. In Kmak, M. & Björklund, H. (eds.), Refugee scholarship and refugee knowledges of Europe (4th ed., pp. 146–162). Routledge

Taiwan News. (2020, June 11) Taiwan devoted to creating Muslim-friendly environment: Report. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3945892

Taiwan News. (2025, September 5). Vietnam tops list of foreign students in Taiwan higher education. Taiwan News. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6194558

Terasawa, T. (2024). East Asia and English language speakers: a population estimation through existing random sampling surveys. Asian Englishes, 26(1), 84–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.2191410

Tierney, R. (2008). Inter‐ethnic and labour‐community coalitions in class struggle in Taiwan since the advent of temporary immigration. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 21(4), 482–496. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810810884876

Tran, L. T., & Vu, T. T. P. (2018). ‘Agency in mobility’: Towards a conceptualisation of international student agency in transnational mobility. Educational Review, 70(1), 167–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2017.1293615

Tuffour, I. (2017). A critical overview of interpretative phenomenological analysis: A contemporary qualitative research approach. Journal of healthcare communications, 2(4), 52. https://doi.org/10.4172/2472-1654.100093

Turton, M. (2023, June 12). Discrimination tarnishes Taiwan’s image. Taipei Times.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2023/06/12/2003801383

Wang, C. K., & Wong, P. K. (2004). Entrepreneurial interest of university students in Singapore. Technovation, 24(2), 163–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0166-4972(02)00016-0

Ward, C., & Kennedy, A. (1999). The measurement of socio-cultural adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 23(4), 659-677.

Yang, A. H. (2017). Revisiting Taiwan's new southbound policy: Agenda, networks and challenges. Issues and Studies, 56(1), 123–143. https://doi.org/10.30390/ISC.201703_56(1).0005

Yin, P. (2025). The coloniality of internationalization: towards a power-conscious framework for studying the experiences of international students in Western contexts. Studies in Higher Education, 50(9), 1995–2010. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2407940

Ying, H., Khoso, A. R., & Bhutto, S. (2024). A case study investigating the relational well-being of international students at Hohai University Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China. Behavioral Sciences, 14(7), 544. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14070544

Zhang, X., & Lütge, C. (2025). A Narrative Inquiry of a Chinese International Student’s Language Experiences and Identities in A Multilingual University in Germany. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 46(9), 3223–3236. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2024.2339518

Zhang-Wu, Q. (2018). Chinese international students’ experiences in American higher education institutes: A critical review of the literature. Journal of International Students, 8(2), 1173–1197. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i2.139

Zhao, W., Osman, M. N., Omar, S. Z., & Yaakup, H. S. (2023). The cross-cultural adaptation of Chinese international students in Malaysia: A systematic review. Asian People Journal (APJ), 6(1), 66–81. https://doi.org/10.37231/apj.2023.6.1.391

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.