Open AccessComplexity amidst Diversity: Exploring the Lives of LGBTQ International Teachers
Author(s) -
Robert C. Mizzi,
Clea Schmidt,
Gustavo Moura
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
comparative and international education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2369-2634
DOI - 10.5206/cieeci.v50i1.11063
Subject(s) - queer , lesbian , diversity (politics) , context (archaeology) , sociology , gender studies , public relations , work (physics) , pedagogy , political science , engineering , geography , mechanical engineering , archaeology , anthropology
This paper analyzes findings from research with 23 lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer international educators and their experiences working in non-Western countries. This study documents the participants’ struggles, challenges, and triumphs of teaching overseas. In-depth interviews, as the data collection method, focus on changes made to thrive in the new country context and barriers to job success. The data reveals four key themes: (1) shifting identities in the new location; (2) belonging as a spectral concept; (3) work ethic as personal security; and (4) queer initiatives and student engagement. The authors introduce the notion of “belonging-scape” to suggest that while LGBTQ international educators faced a series of hetero/cisnormative borders, their sense of belonging to the workplace and to the community was in constant flux. Recommendations for educational administrators to ameliorate challenges unique to LGBTQ international teachers conclude the paper.