Redefining ‘me’: identity change among female Saudi study abroad students in Australia

ABSTRACT

For female Saudi students undertaking study in Australia, the transition from living in a traditional, collective environment to a secular and more liberal society means that these students must navigate a new culture with highly different gender norms. As Saudi women negotiate this cultural divide, some may strengthen their existing identities and retain strong links to their home community and its norms, while others may modify their personal and social identities through exposure to the new culture. This study explores how five female Saudi students have experienced identity change during their time in Australia. Through in-depth interviews, participants shared their experiences studying in Australia and their views on their evolving understandings of what it means for them to be Saudi, women, wives, and mothers. How study abroad gives these women opportunities to modify their cultural and gender identities is explored, with key points of analysis including how participants are renegotiating their gender roles within their new environment, the ways in which participants are reinterpreting Islamic teachings to meet their developing identity needs, and how the identity changes cultivated through exposure to a new culture are contributing to a desire for both personal and social change upon their return to Saudi.