Building Personal Friendships In A Multicultural Society

Abstract

Friendship ranks highly among the social issues that develop and creates a stable and prosperous society. However, people tend to focus more on individuals who share social values while making friends. On the other hand, in a multicultural society, people work, leave, or learn together to share such values. The diversity of the origin of people living in the United States (US), especially in major cities, varies significantly regarding race, ethnicity, and religion, resulting in super-diverse urban setups. This study examined the multicultural friendship between international Arab students studying in the US and their American counterparts. The study was guided by identity management theory. The researcher employed desktop review to achieve research objectives. The researcher searched for stories in journal articles and dissertations published online. The data sources had interview stories on the experiences of Arab students in American universities. In this research study, inductive analysis of the texts was employed. Thematic content analysis was carried out.