The Center for International Programs (CIP) at Kalamazoo College acknowledges that individual-level and systemic discrimination is pervasive within the US and throughout global communities. Multifaceted oppression affects our international students at K as well as our students who remain on K’s campus. Additionally, we know that racism appears in other cities and countries while on study abroad and study away programs.
Each study abroad participant has a unique way of interpreting and impacting the communities and people they visit. At the same time, many students have found a lot of support and encouragement by reading or seeing content by fellow travelers with whom they share similar cultural or experiential horizons. The following is an admittedly non-exhaustive list of some resources we have compiled from colleagues, conferences, and online research.
Please let us know if you come across any additional resources we can add to this page!
General Identity Abroad Resources
Diversity Abroad “…connects talented diverse and underrepresented students and graduates to international education and career opportunities that prepares them for leadership in an interconnected world.”
All Abroad – Contains resources to help find funding opportunities, information about making study abroad support career development, reasons to study abroad, information to support diversity in study abroad, and information about discrimination abroad.
Preparing for Life Abroad
Source: Office for Overseas Study at Indiana University
Identity and Culture Abroad
Source: Office of International Programs at Brown University
Cultural Etiquette Around the World – from eDiplomat
Purdue Center for Instructional Excellence – includes 8 modules designed to help students learn about cultural worldview frameworks, intercultural openness, intercultural empathy, and cultural self-awareness.
Race/Ethnicity
Traveling While Black – Blog of “Cultivated insights from a global community of black travelers.”
6 Things I Wish I Knew Studying Abroad as an African American – on Go Overseas
Bani Amor – Blogs, interviews, and posts that revolve around identity, place and the colonial nature of travel culture; Has a series of interviews with travelers of color and an article listing travelers of color to follow
Travel Latina and @TravelLatina on Instagram
7 things only Latino travelers understand – Luis Guillermo
Race and Ethnicity
Source: Office of Education Abroad at Michigan State University
Gender
Her own way – a woman’s safe-travel guide
Source: Canadian Government
“Women Studying Abroad” by Susan Gass in Transitions Abroad
“Voicing Concern about Discrimination Abroad: The History and Experience of Voices of Change in Working with US Students in Spain” by Christa E. Sanders in SAFETI On-line Newsletter, Volume 1, No. 2, Spring-Summer 2000.
Non-US Citizens
Non-US citizens
Source: Office of Education Abroad at Michigan State University
LGBTQ+ Resources
Sexuality and Gender Identity
Source: Office for Education Abroad at Michigan State University
Before You Go: LGBTI Travel Information – U.S. Government’s resource guide for travelers who identify as LGBTQ
NAFSA’s Rainbow Special Interest Group – Includes numerous web links and a bibliography.
International LGBTQ Association – Includes interactive country by country climate information.
Outright Action International is an association of individuals and organizations dedicated to building a free and peaceful world, respect for individual rights and liberties, and an open and competitive economic system based on voluntary exchange and free trade. They currently have members and representatives in over 100 countries.
Ability
Students with Disabilities
Source: Office of Education Abroad at Michigan State University
Disability Travel Abroad
Source: Transitions Abroad
Books
You will want to take a guidebook with you—perhaps one from the “Let’s Go” series, “Lonely Planet” series or a Rough Guide.
Brislin, Richard. Understanding Culture’s Influence on Behavior, Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1993.
Dowell, Michele-Marie and Mirky, Kelly P. Study Abroad: How to Get the Most Out of Your Experience, Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall, 2003.
Duke, Steven T. Preparing to Study Abroad: Learning to Cross Cultures, Stylus Publishing, 2014.
Gudykunst, William B., StellaTing-Toomey, and Tsukasa Nishida, eds, Communication in Personal Relationships Across Cultures, Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1996.
Hansel, Bettina, The Exchange Student Survival Kit, Second Edition, Boston, MA Intercultural Press, 2007.
Lee, Elaine, Go Girl! The Black Woman’s Book of Travel and Adventure, Portland, OR: The Eighth Mountain Press, 1997.
McLennon, T.K., TrailBlasian: Black Women Living in East Asia: an anthology. First edition, Aurora, Ontario: Excelovate, 2014.
Piet-Pelon, Nancy J. and Barbara Hornby, Women’s Guide to Overseas Living, Second Edition, Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, 1992.
Various. Diversity Issues in Study Abroad, Williamson, Wendy, Study Abroad 101, Second Edition, Kalamazoo, MI, Agapy Publishing, 2008.
Additional Resources
Please send us your suggestions to add here to cip@kzoo.edu