Racism and Aggressions: Short-Term Migrant Students' Experiences in Peer Interaction at Universities

579 Journal for Current Sign Online ISSN (3006-1504) Print ISSN (3006-1490) Racism and Aggressions: Short-Term Migrant Students’ Experiences in Peer Interaction at Universities https://currentsign journal.com/index. php/JCS/index Asima Manzoom Tehmeena Mukhtar Muhammad Danial Moin Vol. 3 No. 4 (2025) 580 Journal for Current Sign Online ISSN (3006-1504) Print ISSN (3006-1490) Racism and Aggressions: Short-Term Migrant Students’ Experiences in Peer Interaction at Universities This research investigates peer racism faced by short-term migrant students in Pakistani universities. Key findings show that these students confront five main challenges: peer stereotyping, social exclusion, psychosocial impacts, coping mechanisms, and institutional weaknesses. Peer stereotyping often leads to adverse academic and social experiences, negatively affecting students‟ well-being. Despite challenges, students build resilient ethnic networks for support. Most participants felt disadvantaged by inadequate diversity policies and lack of effective institutional responses. Peer racism was identified as a form of relational racism that harms students‟ academic engagement, well-being, and sense of belonging in the short term. The study urges universities to adopt cohesive approaches to diversity, mental wellness, and policy development. Findings highlight the prevalence of macroaggressions and a lack of systemic change, underscoring the need for comprehensive institutional reform. Key words: Racism, Peer Stereotyping, Social Exclusion, Psychosocial Impacts, Macroaggression INTRODUCTION Universities now serve as key places for intercultural exchange, mobility, and knowledge sharing. Most campuses have students from many ethnicities, cultures, languages, and countries. Migration alters and continues to change the demographic and cultural makeup of university campuses worldwide (Mahmud, 2025; Bolaji, 2025). The Varieties of Democracy project reports on higher education migration and mobility, emphasizing that diversity brings educational benefits along with challenges. The project notes that racism and discrimination, especially in daily peer interactions, block student inclusion and well-being. These obstacles are persistent and often go unnoticed (Wei & Bunjun, 2021; Reels, 2024). Short-term migrant students on exchange programs are especially vulnerable. They have little time to adjust or build relationships, and must quickly adapt to new societies. They often depend on social networks for validation. For these students, racist incidents are usually subtle. Microaggressions indirect, insidious, or even banal forms of racism are common (Leung, 2021). Discrimination at universities goes beyond policies and structures. Most discrimination happens between peers in classrooms, dorms, and social settings. Microaggressions (Penda, 2022), often expressed as careless comments or actions, lower the value of racialized students. These include Asima Manzoom MS Local DevelopmentUniversity of Padua, Italy Email: [email protected] Tehmeena Mukhtar M.Phil. Sociology, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi Muhammad Danial Moin Ph.D. Scholar-Sociology-Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi Abstract 581 Journal for Current Sign Online ISSN (3006-1504) Print ISSN (3006-1490) stereotypes ('people from your country are often quiet'), social exclusion ('we don‟t need another one in our group'), and dismissing some perspectives. While each act might seem minor, together they reduce confidence, mental health, and academic engagement (Williams et al., 2022; Wei & Bunjun, 2021). Microaggressions include micro assaults (overt slurs), microinsults (slights or dismissals of identity), and microinvalidations (denial of racial experiences) (Adedun, 2024). For migrant students, these daily incidents shape their impression of campus as welcoming or hostile. Leung (2021) found that East Asian students face racial hierarchies on campus. Some feel safe in certain spaces, while others feel excluded or watched. Wei & Bunjun (2021) show that business school culture excludes international students from collaborating Acts of racism and microaggressions deeply harm students. Most seriously, they attack students' sense of belonging, the feeling of being accepted and valued (Mahmud, 2025). Penda (2022) found that microaggressions often isolate and alienate students with weak social ties. These students face more negative academic outcomes because peers exclude or ridicule them. As a result, they withdraw from group work and participate less in collective learning (Arumuhathas, 2024; Hussain, Mansouri & Beaman, 2025). Racism‟s mental effects are a form of trauma (Williams et al., 2022). Students of color often carry heavy emotional burdens because of racism. They may experience anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, or academic hyper-vigilance as coping mechanisms. For migrant students, these mental health challenges grow because they also face cultural adaptation and academic expectations (Ramesh, 2025; Reels, 2024). Most literature on racism and microaggressions comes from North America, Europe, and Australia (Scott et al., 2021; Hernandez, 2021; Marom, 2022). International and migrant students routinely face exclusion. Mandell et al. (2022) show that South Asian and Chinese students in Canada experience unstable social connections shaped by racism. Briggs (2023) argues that students and teachers must adapt their practices to reduce alienation among migrant-origin students. There is little research on South Asia. No one has studied short-term migrant students' peer relations and daily racism in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. In Pakistan‟s multi-ethnic and multilingual setting, migrant students face not just racial, but also ethnic, language, and international discrimination. The two cities‟ universities offer a unique case that needs attention. Problem Statement Adding some context to the dips of understanding other people whose lives are marked by the experience (especially in Pakistan) is a glimpse after the polish in the memos is absolutely nonexistent. These students, who are migrants, are often overlooked in the more descriptive short-term subsequent analysis. They are almost invisible graduates who mechanically associate the economy with growth, along with the cultures abroad. In the very first steps of walking into the institutes located in the twin cities of Pakistan, eliminate the process of learning, which is the whole process of integration. Rather, it appears that the process of learning, at least in the case of the students who are at a very early stage of their developmental phases, is devoid of altogether benevolent processes. The learning process, which is described as integration, is deeply characterized by the mockery of languages, as well as the ostracism to which these cultures, 582 Journal for Current Sign Online ISSN (3006-1504) Print ISSN (3006-1490) termed microaggressions, are subjected, in order to achieve higher academic levels and growth. In the superficial touches which are the very basic tiers of racism, peer racism is rarely talked about; on the other hand, the set of demands that are resting from the primary to the other, very much non-Western country, Pakistan, seems to fulfil the criteria. Research Objectives This study aims to investigate peer racism in the form of microaggressions experienced by shortterm migrant students in Twin Cities universities. The objectives are: To explore the everyday experiences of racism faced by short-term migrant students from their peers in the universities of the Twin Cities To understand how such peer interactions affect their sense of belonging and social adjustment within the university environment. Significance of the Study This research straddles both theory and practice equally. It advances scholarship on microaggressions and racism within the context of South Asia, where such phenomena have been micro-studied and, indeed, contribute to how micro and meso levels of racism operate beyond the West. From the theory of racially stratified university education, this advances the understanding of student population diversity comparatively. Concurrently, it enables universities within the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to understand the challenges faced by these migrant students, allowing them to develop customized counseling, policy, and awareness programs strategically designed to foster inclusion and participation. Moreover, the research highlights the need to attend to the culture among students and the level of peer interactions for the „everyday racism‟ in which there remains significant silence and a lack of attention to the processes of exclusion. LITERATURE REVIEW Racism in Higher Education: A Global Perspective Racism remains an issue in higher education across the globe, and it continues to shape the experiences of students from different cultures and national backgrounds. While the university environment is often perceived as a place of diversity and open interaction, it is also a place where racial discrimination, exclusion, and other more hidden forms of discrimination take place at the same time (Penda, 2022). Microaggressions, stereotyping, and unequal treatment, all of which are important in defining the academic and social experiences of marginalized students, form the underlying racial hostility and discrimination in higher education (Wei & Bunjun, 2021). The experiences of migrant students, especially those who engage in short-term mobility activities such as exchange programs or visiting semesters, demonstrate how systemic and interpersonal racism structure integration, belonging, and overall well-being. This has been extensively examined in the literature, where international and migrant students face numerous challenges in academics and faculty interactions in other countries. These challenges have ranged from blatant racial attacks to more subtle exclusionary behaviors and often leave students feeling isolated from their peers (Leung, 2021). While institutional racism “within policies, administrative practices, and even resource allocation” (2021) has been able to 583 Journal for Current Sign Online ISSN (3006-1504) Print ISSN (3006-1490) capture a lot of attention, preparing for even worse peer-to-peer racism, where students would cross social and academic boundaries, has been largely ignored. This racism is especially important to consider for short-term migrant students who heavily struggle with cultural adjustment. Microaggressions and Everyday Racism Racism, arguably, in the form of subtle microaggressions and exclusionary stereotyping, is imperative to the understanding of the predicaments of migrant students. `Sue et al. (2007) ` theorize the notion of microaggressions to be subtle and nuanced, mostly unintentional and verbal, and behavioral slights which convey messages of a demeaning and disparaging nature to subordinated individuals and groups. These include, in university settings, certain unsubstantiated, stereotypical, and bigoted notions about them regarding their language, culture, and intellect. For instance, short-term migrant students are often queried to „prove‟ their suitability to the academic realm and culture, which, in turn, reinforces the stereotype of their inadequacy (Wei & Bunjun, 2021). The research conducted indicates that everyday racism does, in fact, have cumulative consequences, which in turn lead to increased levels of stress, alienation, and withdrawal of social and academic engagement (Leung, 2021). As for the short-term migrants, the increased strain is the outcome of the academically compressed engagement. Unlike degree-seeking students, who may develop longer-term coping strategies, visiting students often face immediate and unmediated encounters with peer hostility or exclusion. This suggests that the focus should be on peer-to-peer racism as an important facet of academic migration. Migrant and International Students in Higher Education International and migrant students add a considerable level of diversity to the world of higher education. However, the issues of acceptance, belonging, and social integration are pervasive. Penda (2022) notes that students suffer from social and cultural isolation as a result of discrimination and exclusion from significant social interactions, which is caused by culture and race In many situations, migrant students are considered as „outsiders‟ and „immigrant interlopers‟ who disturb the balance of the social and cultural order of the societies they move to (Wei & Bunjun, 2021). This „outsider‟ construct is especially problematic for students with a short sojourn to study abroad, as they often have limited time for integration and social interactions to build dense peer networks. There is a stark contrast between the experience of migrant students and the promises of diversity and inclusion that most institutions of higher learning make. In many instances, host students demonstrate discriminatory approaches, such as silence regarding the inclusion of migrant students in cooperative work and group assignments, which appears to override cultural sensitivities in their observations, and they shun participants from both social and professional interactions (Leung, 2021). Such instances of peer discrimination and racism are not readily classified as the outcome of institutional failures, but they profoundly influence the degree to which students are academically active and the emotional health of migrant students. 584 Journal for Current Sign Online ISSN (3006-1504) Print ISSN (3006-1490) Short-Term Migrant Students and Peer-to-Peer Racism Like their long-term counterparts, participants in exchange programs, short courses, or visiting semesters, as short-term migrants within specific educational programs, face challenges distinct to themselves. Due to the shorter duration of their visit, they are more easily overlooked by sustained social support mechanisms and struggle to fit within social collectives. Research indicates that these students are more vulnerable to subtle forms of racism, which, due to time and spacing constraints, are more easily developed without social support and protective networks (Penda, 2022). Racism in this context is more horizontal. Students often encounter forms of racism that are stereotypical and categorized by social discrimination along language lines, social, and even academic, spatial exclusion, and sometimes, blatant aggression. It is not uncommon, for instance, to find students who are ridiculed for their stilted accents, or who suffer from the silence syndrome in class, or are not selected to work with their peers in collaborative projects (Leung, 2021). Such experiences serve to alienate their users and catalyze the process of being 'othered.' Such behaviors are not uncommon and, as Wei & Bunjun (2021) observe, are often dismissed as humor or some general misunderstanding, yet that is a tactic that is deeply rooted in a racialized attempt to render migrant students 'other.' The increase in vulnerability of short-term migrants stems from their not knowing the culture of the host country. Even as they try to adjust themselves academically and socially, peer racism serves as an obstacle to the development of friendships, to participation in joint learning activities, and to the overall ability to feel accepted. This explains why studying racism at the institutional level alone, and not at the level of personal daily peer interaction, is insufficient. Social and Psychological Impacts of Peer Racism The impact of peer dishonesty on the migrant students and their psychological health is dire. Schenk (2021), peer racist aggressions are the source of stress and anxiety, which ultimately leads to apathy regarding school and the associated activities. Students may experience reduced academic and social engagement as a result of social network withdrawal, participation in dissociative group projects, and limited interactions with host peers. The lack of social engagement leads to a lack of identity development, self-perception, and psychological well-being. The self-stigmatization Wei and Bunjun (2021) discuss is the result of prevailing stereotypes, which lead to a lack of self-confidence and self-alienation. This is especially true for short-term students who face the dire stresses associated with rapid acculturation. The essence of educational programs abroad is the opportunity for self and collective development through intercultural contact and social integration, which contrasts with the negative approach to self and group socialization among educational peers abroad. Penda (2022) describes these cultural peer divisions, which are the opposite of the expected outcomes of holistic peer collaborating educational programs. Coping Strategies and Support Systems The range of peer-to-peer racism phenomena has led to the development of retention strategies among short-term migrants, which include the formation of social groups and the withdrawal of 585 Journal for Current Sign Online ISSN (3006-1504) Print ISSN (3006-1490) social ties with host students labeled as discriminatory by members of the host community. Discriminatory attitudes. These coping strategies may provide short-term relief. However, they tend to reinforce separation and block opportunities to engage with people from different backgrounds (Leung, 2021). Any institution's aid is crucial in alleviating the impact of peer racism. Intercultural programs, supportive mentorship, and peer assistance facilitate more positive peer integration. Wei & Bunjun (2021) argue, however, that the literature focuses more on inclusion at the structural level and tends to overlook the interpersonal, peer-to-peer racism that underlies integration. As a result, inter-student peer racism remains an under-researched and unaddressed aspect of the experiences students face in higher education. Theoretical and Empirical Gaps Racism in higher education has been studied rather extensively, albeit mainly in the context of international students and the workings of the institution. Studies looking at migrant students, especially at the short-term ones, have not been paid much attention, and in particular, their peerlevel racism experiences. This is a concern in the literature. Penda (2022) attempts to tackle this issue in the context of a developing nation, which renders the issue of student mobility and racism underdeveloped and significantly under-researched Understanding interpersonal racism is critical in the context of short-term migrants, especially when they do not encounter institutional barriers, yet, in large part, they do face exclusion, hostility, and relational racism. Having these experiences is important in understanding and informing policy discussions because it complicates not merely institutional frameworks, but also the social realities that come to define students‟ lives at the university. The literature shows that, at this level of education, racism goes beyond the institution and includes everyday contact by and among students. The barriers and challenges to academic and cultural adjustment faced by short-term migrants tend to be compounded in peer-group situations by racism and microaggressions, stereotyping, and social exclusion. This impacts students‟ psychological well-being, academic engagement, and overall feeling of belonging to the institution. Universities claim to be waiting to embrace diversity and inclusion; however, enduring peer racism highlights the failure of institutions to deal with the inter-relational aspects of racism. Moreover, the peer-to-peer racism research focuses on within-country relations for the short-term visitors, especially to the Pakistani twin cities. Evidence within the peer-to-peer racism research reveals the need for a more sophisticated approach to the conditions of short-term migrants and includes the need for local structural relations to be drawn on. The enduring gaps identified in the research stress the need for the proposed research on short-term migrants in the Pakistan twin cities. Engaging with other scholarship on everyday racism available highlights issues of social and academic life that need to be addressed in higher education contexts The forms of racism encountered within the precincts of higher education go beyond primary structures to the social level among peers, particularly describing the situation of short-term migrant students who experience microaggressions, stereotypes, and social exclusion. Not only do such students impede the fulfillment of certain academic tasks, but they also pose a danger to 586 Journal for Current Sign Online ISSN (3006-1504) Print ISSN (3006-1490) their psychological health and to their sense of cohesion within the student body, a factor that the diversity policies of institutions of higher education often overlook, focusing instead on interpersonal relations. Due to their transient status and a lack of robust support structures, shortterm migrant students are particularly vulnerable, which calls for strengthened scholarship on their lived experiences, with a view to the twin cities of Pakistan, to effectuate authentic intercultural inclusion at the university level. METHODOLOGY The focus of this qualitative study is to unmask peer-to-peer racism in higher education settings by short-term migrant students. The data were collected through snowball sampling at the twin cities‟ universities in Pakistan, specifically at the Arid Agriculture University (PMAS-AAUR) and Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU). The target population identified was students from the Baloch, Sindhi, Siraiki, and Pashtun groups, which form the bulk of the migrant population at the institution under investigation. The entire data collection process involved conducting 16 on-site semi-structured interviews, which lasted between 45 minutes and 1 hour. The interviews allowed the participants to describe the phenomena of microaggressions, stereotyping, and social isolation. We transcribed the interviews and thematically analyzed them to show the qualitative aspects of the data. The participants were informed about the ethics of the study, which included the principles of informed consent, the right to privacy, the option to withdraw, and the protection of sensitive data. Under this investigation, peer-to-peer racism has been defined as deliberate social and academic isolation. Thematic Analysis Thematic analysis was done on the interview data with brief migrant students at both universities in the twin cities. Following Braun and Clarke‟s (2006) six-step analysis, the data collected were systematized, transcribed, coded, and grouped into structures of meaning that relate to the participant‟s reality. The study identified five main themes, which are: (1) Peer Stereotyping Experiences, (2) Social Exclusion and Marginalization, (3) Emotional and Psychological Consequences, (4) Resistance and Coping Strategies, and (5) Institutional Barriers and Challenges. These themes illustrate the perpetuation of racism between peers and its counter impacts on the academic engagement, mental well-being, and social inclusion of students of Baloch, Sindhi, Siraiki, and Pashtoon origins. Theme 1: Experiences of Peer Stereotyping Peer stereotyping was particularly common; students vividly described how the judgments of their peers categorizing them as „backward‟, „violent‟, or „too conservative‟ was a result of their ethnic identity. A Pashtoon male student explained: “When I introduce myself as a Pashtoon, some students immediately start making jokes about being „too strict‟ or „too conservative.‟ These stereotypes make me feel that I am judged before anyone knows my character.” Similarly, a Baloch student shared: 587 Journal for Current Sign Online ISSN (3006-1504) Print ISSN (3006-1490) “They call us backward or say Baloch students are not civilized. It hurts because they do not know about our culture or our struggles.” Stereotyping extended beyond cultural labeling into assumptions about academic competence. A Sindhi student recalled: “Some classmates assume I cannot speak good Urdu or English, so they avoid pairing with me in group presentations. They think I will lower their marks.” Female students also faced gendered stereotypes. A Pashtoon female participant stated: “Many students think Pashtoon girls are too conservative or not allowed to interact freely. Because of this, I often feel left out of group discussions and social events.” This finding is consistent with those of Wei & Bunjun (2021) and Valli et al. (2025), which show that negative stereotypes diminish the confidence of minority students and erect barriers to their sense of belonging. Theme 2: Social Exclusion and Marginalization Participants also reported being deliberately or subtly excluded from group activities, classroom discussions, and social events. A Siraiki male student explained: “In presentations, they don‟t want to take me in their group. They say politely that their group is full, but I see later they add others.” Similarly, a Baloch student described: “When I try to give an answer in class, they don‟t take it seriously. Sometimes they laugh at my accent instead of listening to what I say.” Social exclusion often forced students into forming ethnic cliques as protective spaces. A Sindhi female student reflected: “We make our own circles. It feels safer, because at least we don‟t get judged all the time.” These patterns align with those observed by Mandell et al. (2022), who noted that migrant students often retreat into ethnic solidarity during times of marginalization, thereby diminishing their chances of engaging in intercultural interaction. Theme 3: Emotional and Psychological Impact The stigma and ostracization had serious emotional and psychological effects. Alienation, an unwarranted loss of self-confidence, and emotional fatigue, due above all things to bias, were all factors that students repeatedly talked about suffering from. A Siraiki student noted: “Even when I sit among my classmates, I feel like I don‟t belong. They don‟t include me in conversations, so I just stay quiet.” A Baloch female student shared: “I feel lonely in the university. I don‟t have many friends outside of my community because people don‟t accept me easily.” Declines in self-confidence were also reported. A Pashtoon female student explained: “In some classes, I avoid participation because I don‟t want to hear comments about my accent or background. It lowers my confidence.” Another student added: