ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4750-4930

Publication Date

2022

Abstract

The author examines the connections between education abroad, race, and belonging through a framework that is critical of U.S. empire. Drawing on her experience as a Thai American heritage seeking study abroad student and a former study abroad advisor at two different public universities, the author shares stories about race and belonging from semi-structured interviews with fellow Asian American heritage-seekers. The author connects these stories with the politically- and militaristically-driven development of U.S. education abroad programs and demonstrates how these stories confront the ongoing and historical processes that racialize Asian Americans as “perpetually foreign,” as in belonging elsewhere—Asia. These stories illustrate a need for a critical and conscious education abroad curriculum that addresses issues of race for all students. The author suggests that education abroad curriculum ought to cover topics including U.S. empire, race, and belonging, and that this curriculum can be developed in collaboration with ethnic and transnational feminist programs and scholars, diversity and inclusion offices, mental and psychological health professionals, and other experts in these areas. The author concludes with a list of action items that can move us toward a more critical and conscious education abroad curriculum.

ISBN

978-3-031-13056-4

Journal or Book Title

Historically Underrepresented Faculty and Students in Education Abroad

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13056-4_11

Comments

The final published version of this chapter can be found here:

Twishime, P.I. (2022). Asian American Heritage Seeking: Toward a Critical and Conscious Study Abroad Curriculum. In: Walker, D.L., Lyons, L.M., Vaught, S. (eds) Historically Underrepresented Faculty and Students in Education Abroad. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13056-4_11

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