Paradox of success: intersectional inequalities and habitus clivé of Asian women in elite Western academia

Differentiated student experiences in Western universities have often been examined primarily through the lens of social class. While valuable, such explanations are insufficient to capture the complexities faced by heterogeneous student populations. Drawing on intersectionality and Bourdieu’s concepts, this study focuses on a group-embracing multiple and complex intersectional identities: Asian female student migrants pursuing elite Western higher education. The findings show that under the appearances of success, ranges of physical (transnational) and embodied (social) mobility produce varied experiences of habitus clivé and hidden injuries. Additionally, this transnational journey provides spaces and resources for reflexivity, enabling students to articulate, negotiate, and reconcile competing doxa across fields and transform habitus for a new future. This study suggests that habitus clivé may be a pervasive phenomenon among increasingly diverse students entering academic institutions worldwide. Future research and policy would benefit from accounting for intersectionality and expanding analytical frameworks beyond social class.