Personal Adaptations to Cultural Change: International Students Responses to Cultural and Interactional Challenges

Individuals who experience a sudden shift in the cultural and structural context of their everyday lives face a number of challenges, which require substantial behav­ioral and self-presentational adaptations. Based on an analysis of focused inter­view and participant observation data, this paper examines the interactional experiences of international students at a Midwestern university, including the cultural and interactional challenges they encounter and the strategies they employ in response to these challenges. International students\u27 challenges and strategies are compared with those of others who have experienced sudden shifts in social context, and examined in terms of their implications for participants\u27 identities