“Living with solitude”: narrative of a female college student from rural China

Abstract

Drawing on a broader study that focused on understanding rural college students for equity and personal growth in higher education, this paper presents Ying’s story of learning and living as a female college student from rural China. Adopting the thinking tools of habitus and reflexivity, the paper aims to understand the constraints Ying has gone through in China’s higher education and her various response amidst them. The findings illustrate how the intersectionality of rural dispositions and gender has put her at a disadvantage and how she constantly mediates her surroundings through internal conversations. The paper discusses the intricate interplay between habitus and reflexivity during the mediation. The conclusion affirms the relevance of both habitus and reflexivity in our understanding of the rural student’s educational experiences and argues for the role of education and society in challenging the social structure and promoting social change.