Publication Date
Spring 2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Counselor Education
Advisor
Zachary McNiece; Marion Beach; Shanice Robinson
Abstract
To examine how multicultural students experience identity, representation, and belonging within U.S. higher education structured around monoracial classification systems, the present study interviewed six self-identified multicultural male college students. Drawing on Frantz Fanon’s concept of identity fragmentation and Critical Multiracial Theory, the study explored how institutional categorization and racialized perception shape lived experiences of identity formation and misrecognition. Using semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis informed by interpretive phenomenology, participant narratives were analyzed to understand how identity is negotiated within institutional spaces. The study has three themes. The first is experiencing imposed identity and racial misrecognition. The second is navigating institutional spaces that do not fully recognize multicultural identity. Third, is negotiating a fragmented and fluid sense of self with two sub themes: conflict between external expectations and internal identity and drawing in culture, community, and narrative for identity meaning making.
Recommended Citation
Fuller, Lucion Armani, "Pick up the Pieces: Multicultural Men’s Experiences of Represenentation and Belonging in Higher Education" (2026). Master's Theses. 5816.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.7pea-e6fk
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/5816
