Navigating identity and intergroup relations across borders: How studying abroad shapes Polish students’ sense of self and perceptions of “others”
Författare
Summary, in English
This thesis examines how transnational mobility shapes the relationship between the sense of national belonging, European affiliation, and openness towards “others” among Polish students who have studied abroad.
Based on 308 survey responses, it explores how living and studying away from one’s home country influences self-perception and impacts intergroup attitudes, applying Social Identity Theory, Self-Categorisation Theory, Intergroup Contact Theory, and the notion of “othering” as its theoretical and conceptual framework.
The analysis considers how the quality of interpersonal interactions, situational group memberships, and the balance between national and supranational identification relate to the openness towards “others”. By comparing patterns across varying durations of stay, shifts in attachment to Poland, sense of European belonging, and attitudes towards foreigners, the research highlights how international experiences can encourage Polish youth to reflect on their own and others’ place in the world.
The findings offer insights into the complex, non-linear interactions between identity and intergroup perception, challenging zero-sum assumptions that weaker national attachment, stronger European identification, and greater openness to “otherness” inevitably coincide.
Based on 308 survey responses, it explores how living and studying away from one’s home country influences self-perception and impacts intergroup attitudes, applying Social Identity Theory, Self-Categorisation Theory, Intergroup Contact Theory, and the notion of “othering” as its theoretical and conceptual framework.
The analysis considers how the quality of interpersonal interactions, situational group memberships, and the balance between national and supranational identification relate to the openness towards “others”. By comparing patterns across varying durations of stay, shifts in attachment to Poland, sense of European belonging, and attitudes towards foreigners, the research highlights how international experiences can encourage Polish youth to reflect on their own and others’ place in the world.
The findings offer insights into the complex, non-linear interactions between identity and intergroup perception, challenging zero-sum assumptions that weaker national attachment, stronger European identification, and greater openness to “otherness” inevitably coincide.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2025
Språk
Engelska
Fulltext
Dokumenttyp
Examensarbete för masterexamen (Två år)
Ämne
- Social Sciences
Nyckelord
- European identity
- Social Identity Theory
- Self-Categorisation Theory
- Intergroup Contact Theory
- survey
- transnational mobility
- Polish students
- national belonging
Handledare
- Elsa Hedling