Black *and Foreign* in the Ivory: Exploring the sociopolitical integration of Black international students in Alberta, Canada
Creators: Ifeonu, Prof-Collins
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

<p>Over the last three decades, the number of students pursuing higher education outside of their<br>
country of citizenship (international students) has increased five-fold (The Organization for<br>
Economic Co-operation and Development, 2022). In that same period Canada has become a<br>
popular attraction of international students, such that it is houses to the third largest concentration<br>
of this group globally. International student tuition and discretionary spending serve as an<br>
important source of revenue for higher education institutions. Furthermore, federal, and provincial<br>
governments identify international students as a valued source of skilled immigrants. In a bid to<br>
ensure a steady influx of students, Canada has recently turned to countries in sub-Saharan Africa<br>
and the Caribbean – all regions where the population mostly identify as “Black” – as new source<br>
regions to target for intensified recruitment. Minimal research explores the integration experiences<br>
and daily lives of these students. Instead, studies employ monolithic categorizations, neglecting to<br>
analyze variations in racial/ethnic identification.<br>
To that end, the main research questions in this study are: (1) How do Black international<br>
students in Canada negotiate a sense of belonging amidst various forms of social inequality? and<br>
(2) In what ways are Black international students’ political proclivities shaping, or shaped by<br>
Canada’s political climate? I drew on an assorted mix of theoretical and methodological<br>
perspectives to answer these questions. The discussions in this study are based on semi-structured<br>
interviews with 40 research participants, all international students from sub-Saharan Africa and<br>
the Caribbean studying at a higher education institution across Alberta, Canada. In theorizing the<br>
study’s findings, I drew on an eclectic, interdisciplinary collection on scholarship such as<br>
international student mobility, Black politics, queer migration studies, and migration studies. What<br>
emerges from this approach is a detailed understanding of Black international students that<br>
accounts for the sociocultural reasons shaping their decision to study in Canada, relationship to<br>
Black-themed racial justice organizing/foregrounding, and navigation of queer identity making<br>
while managing the precarity of temporary legal status. Consequently, the project’s findings<br>
highlight the need to think of the respective populations “Black students” and “international<br>
students” as a heterogenous groups consisting of diverse viewpoints, experiences, and challenges.<br>
There are three substantive chapters where the findings of this study are discussed. Chapter<br>
three discusses how Black international students’ perceptions of Canadian multiculturalism<br>
operate as an ideological attraction that initially assuages concerns about racial hostility. Such<br>
preconceptions, however, are complicated by experiences and knowledge acquired post-migration,<br>
such as encounters with interpersonal racism and learning about Canada’s colonial legacy. Chapter<br>
four explores the factors shaping Black international students’ understanding of and relationship<br>
to Black-themed racial justice activism in Canada. This article uncovers three distinct groups of<br>
participants with varying degrees of political activity and highlights the role of diasporic and legal<br>
consciousness in shaping their engagement with movements. Chapter 5 delves into the multifocal<br>
experiences of precarity encountered by a queer Nigerian student, involving complex negotiations<br>
of sexual, racial identity, and temporary legal status. Collectively, these articles advance a<br>
heterogeneous understanding of international students, acknowledging the diversity of social<br>
locations and experiences within this group. The articles also serve to depict the sociopolitical<br>
integration of Black international students. In sum, this dissertation contributes to broader<br>
conversations about race, racism, racial justice, and intersecting identities as they pertain to<br>
international student experiences and underscores the need for more nuanced approaches and<br>
supportive environments in Canadian universities. Popular approaches to studying international<br>
students are rarely attuned to intra-group variation based on race and ethnicity, and this study is<br>
among the first to foreground such analyses in Canadian research on international students.</p>