On the Margins of College Life: The Experiences of Racial and Ethnic Minority Men in the Extracurriculum

Abstract

Today, racial and ethnic minority (REM) men complete college at lower rates and perceive a less welcoming campus climate than their white and female peers. Although these disparities in perceptions and outcomes are well-documented, we know less about how they are produced. Drawing on an ethnographic study at a four-year public university, I examine the experiences of REM men in the extracurricular realm of college. Findings illuminate how students become locked into narrow identity strategies in order to distance themselves from controlling images and conform to the demands of peers. These styles of self-presentation offer limited emotional dividends, making it difficult to feel a durable sense of belonging. Further, social class intersects with race and gender, shaping the capacity of REM men to navigate mistreatment and marginalization in the broader extracurricular landscape. This research has implications for scholarship and for efforts to support REM men in higher education.