Eyes Theory: A Proposed Racialization and Developmental Identity Model for Understanding Concepts of Race for International Students of Color Studying in US Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

In this chapter, EYES theory proposes that international students view themselves and appraise their social standing of their own race based in relationship to extant social perceptions of racial stereotypes in the United States. These stereotypes are determined by geography which exude from the legacy of enslavement in the United States. EYES theory proposes that international students view racial differences through these dynamics by assessing their own identity in regards to race, colorsim and group identification. Specifically, international students use racial groups to classify, rank, and understand racial differences that are informed by these social geographies that impart a white/black racial discourse by which international students navigate their social status. EYES theory challenges the intellectual perception of heterogeneity among international students and in regards to race posits that international students experience mico and macrolevel contexts regarding race due to the socio-historical legacy of racism in the United States. The authors anticipate that EYES theory may have implications for study in other geographical contexts where a black white dichotomy serves as the parameter for understanding racial relationships and hegemony.

Citation

Yeo, H.T., McKee, M. and Trent, W. (2018), "Eyes Theory: A Proposed Racialization and Developmental Identity Model for Understanding Concepts of Race for International Students of Color Studying in US Higher Education Institutions", Hoffman, J., Blessinger, P. and Makhanya, M. (Ed.) Perspectives on Diverse Student Identities in Higher Education: International Perspectives on Equity and Inclusion (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 14), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 95-112. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120180000014008