Crossing cultures: The spectrum of intercultural conflict among international students in Northern India

Bipasha Das, Satyam Verma and Alok Gardia

International Journal of Educational Development, 2025, vol. 116, issue C

Abstract: The study explores intercultural conflicts among international students in Northern India, particularly emphasizing the intersectional dynamics of nationality, race, gender, and religion in shaping their experiences. It was conducted using a qualitative phenomenological design that analyzed the experiences of 12 students from 11 countries and four religions through a semi-structured, in-depth interview schedule. Findings show that students experienced cross-cultural discrepancy, explicit prejudice, and intersectional discrimination. The study found that international students face challenges in adapting to cultural changes and integrating into a new society due to the lack of intercultural sensitivity among local students. The initial culture shock experienced by international students typically manifests through specific challenges related to everyday interactions, dietary adjustments, religious celebrations, gender norms, and dress codes. On the contrary, the challenges expanded their outlook toward cultural adjustment. The findings of the study also revealed that international students are sometimes exposed to gender-based harassment and discrimination, which can vary based on their particular religion and nationality. The study underscores the urgent need to develop sound inclusion strategies for international students, giving them more opportunities for mutual interaction and absorption in campus life.

Keywords: Cultural diversity; Intercultural conflict; International students; Region-based discrimination; Social identities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059325000999
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:injoed:v:116:y:2025:i:c:s0738059325000999

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103301

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Educational Development is currently edited by Stephen P Heyneman

More articles in International Journal of Educational Development from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().