Febi Junaidi, Hilda Rakerda, Dewanti Srihati, Arono, Nafri Yanti
African student mobility to non-Western host societies remains under examined within South–South higher education migration. This study addresses that gap by examining how African students adapt in Indonesia, a host setting located outside the dominant Western context that has shaped most cross-cultural adaptation models. Drawing on Social Support Theory, the study moves beyond contextual application by showing that adaptation in this setting is structured mainly through informal, relational, and culturally embedded forms of support rather than formal institutional mechanisms. Using a narrative inquiry design, this study analyses semi-structured interviews with six African students in Indonesia through narrative thematic analysis. The findings identify six interrelated themes: language and communication, cultural and culinary adaptation, peer solidarity and belonging, homesickness, perceptions of the host culture, and identity integration. The study finds that peer solidarity constitutes the primary support system in students’ adaptation process. These findings extend existing models of cross-cultural adaptation by demonstrating that the forms and functions of social support are context-specific and cannot be fully explained through assumptions derived from Western host environments. The study contributes to research on international student mobility by highlighting the theoretical significance of South–South and non-Western contexts in understanding adaptation, belonging, and support. © 2026 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Bimacita Global, Bengkulu, Indonesia; Universitas Bangka Belitung, Bangka, Indonesia; Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia; Universitas Bengkulu, Bengkulu, Indonesia
