Home, half a world away: the cultural logic of acculturation among Indian international students at Colorado State University
Date
2014
Authors
Van Oostenburg, Max, author
Snodgrass, Jeffrey, advisor
Kwiatkowski, Lynn, committee member
Harman, Jennifer, committee member
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Abstract
In this thesis I contend that Indian international students at Colorado State University strive to adjust to life in the United States in accordance with a cognitive "model" of what being well-adjusted entails. This model of being well-adjusted is culture-specific and reflects a negotiation between Indian cultural values and the challenges of life as a CSU student. This cultural logic of adjustment configures subjective well-being in a context-specific way, meaning individuals who are more able to map onto the cultural model of being well-adjusted are likely to experience better subjective well-being than those who are unable. I suggest that accounting for the cultural patterning of acculturation is a step towards a more nuanced understanding of the adjustment process of international students. Additionally, this approach provides a more emic picture of the dynamics of subjective well-being among groups of international students.
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Subject
Indian
acculturation
anthropology
international
students
subjective well-being