The emergence of cosmopolitan group cultures and its implications for cultural transition: A case study of an international student support group

The purpose of the current work is to discover how cosmopolitanism impacts cross-cultural adaptation when groups of international students build social support networks that are not divided along home and host cultural lines. Using a social constructivist epistemological approach and qualitative methods such as participant observation and interviewing, a two-and-a-half year ethnography is described that includes the formation, activities, and impacts that this group has on the adaptation processes of its members. The results reconceptualize the construct of cosmopolitanism, indicating that such a framework provides an accurate description of a multinational, multicultural social support network for internationals.