Desi Women & Student Success
Abbas, T. (2002). The home and the school in
the educational achievements of South
Asians. Race Ethnicity and Education, 5(3).
http://doi.org/10.1080/1361332022000004
"Mothers with a variety of
educational levels wished to
see their daughters achieve a
position of choice and
independence in their
lifestyles, where they would
not be solely dependent upon
(and perhaps subordinate to)
a future husband and in-laws"
(p. 144).
Bhatti, G. (2011). Outsiders or Insiders? Identity,
educational success and Muslim young men in
England. Ethnography and Education, 6(1), 81–96.
http://doi.org/10.1080/1745782302011.553081
"I identify not as a British or an
Asian but as a British Asian. . .but
people don’t see you as British,
they see you as Asian. And it’s like
“I’m British,” my ancestors are
Asian, but I’m British. (Eram, age
16, Eastwood School)" (p. 476).
Jenn Islam & Makana Agcaoili
"My parents encourage us to do
well in education because they
feel we will have a better life, but
I think it is also connected to
status in the community and of
course marriage" (p. 307). 
Ahmad, F. (2001). Modern traditions? British Muslim
women and academic achievement. Gender and
Education, 13(2), 137–152.
http://doi.org/10.1080/09540250120051169
"The boys felt that if at least one of
their teachers had come from their
own ethnic and cultural
backgrounds, they might have
taken their parents to school and
perhaps sought advice more easily"
(p.88).
Dwyer, C. (2000). Negotiating diasporic identities:
Young British South Asian Muslim Women. Women’s
Studies International Forum, 23(4), 475–486.
Desi Women & Student Success
Isler, H. N. (2006). Hostile times: Desi college
students cope with hate. Perspectives on
Urban Education, 4(2), 1–12.
"It demonstrates that mothers see
younger members of the extended
family as potential sources of
important knowledge and
resources that could help them and
their daughters navigate the HE
landscape" (p. 1028).
Khambhaita, P., & Bhopal, K. (2015). Home or
away? The signifigance of ethnicity, class and
attainment in the housing choices of female
university students. Race Ethnicity and
Education, 18(4), 535–566.
http://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2012.759927 
"A common thread throughout the
themes is all of the students
indicated that there was a low
number of SEAA students on their
respective campuses, which in turn
influenced the ways in which they
spoke of cultural knowledge, cultural
familiarity, cultural expression, and
cultural advocacy" (p.519).
Jenn Islam & Makana Agcaoili
"First, after September 11th, it was just
kind of…unbelievable. But then, after a
week passed, I remember sitting (on
campus) with my friends—my Indian
girlfriends—and we just did not feel safe
in this country...unsafe because of my
skin color...And it was a very strange
feeling, not to feel secure" (p.7).
Khambhaita, P. (2014). Indian mothers ’ perceptions
of their roles in their daughters ’ university course
choices. British Educational Research Journal, 40(6),
1019–1035. http://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3124
"Results show that higher achieving
female students from Indian, Pakistani
and Bangladeshi backgrounds are all less
likely than their high achieving White
counterparts to leave the
parental/guardian home. This might point
us to cultural barriers. For example, in the
form of seeing the university ‘space’ as
predominantly white and at odds with
their own cultural identity" (p. 562).
Maramba, D. C., & Palmer, R. T. (2014). The impact of
cultural validation on the college experiences of
Southeast Asian American students. Journal of
College Student Development, 55(6), 515–530.