Ethnic-racial discrimination among young adults in higher education: How context shapes experiences, consequences, and coping

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of research on ethnic-racial discrimination (ERD) among young adults in higher education. We examine how the university context shapes experiences of ERD and how it moderates targets, downstream consequences, and coping responses. We do so from the vantage point of a structural-psychological perspective, which examines ERD not solely a result of interpersonal actions, but rather a product of broader systemic inequities and historical legacies of oppression The chapter describes which ethnic-racial groups and their intersections with other relevant social categories are most affected by ERD. It also describes the contexts and moderators of ERD and the downstream consequences of experiencing ERD. Finally, the chapter describes active and passive coping and resistance strategies that racialized students employ to deal with ERD and how effective they are for students’ academic and health adjustment.