Maintaining National Identity of Kuwaiti Students Studying in Western Higher Education Institutions: a Non-Market Benefit of K-12 Education in Kuwait

This paper examines national identity among Kuwaiti international students studying in Anglophone universities in the US and the UK, using the notion of post-sojourn identity of international students from Kuwait. The study highlights some of the complexities behind the Muslim Arab identity that may explain why it is not fully understood in the West. Having surveyed a sample of 500 Kuwaiti students in Anglophone universities, the research shows that age, educational background, knowledge about national identity, and a sense of belonging to the national group all significantly predicted the success level of maintaining a national identity. The findings showed that, while the majority of the participants chose “Muslim Arab” as their self-reported national identity, there was evidence of an “identity dilemma” present among a high proportion of participants. The factors that affected this identity dilemma were educational background, acceptance by the host population, knowledge of their own identity, and how the host population perceived their identity. The study concluded with a call for a conscious “national identity” promotion for students studying abroad and further studies about national identity from other perspectives.