ABSTRACT
This chapter helps the reader to reflect on what is meant by identity and discusses what researchers have discovered about the influence of identity elements on interculturality in relation to the positioning and learning of student sojourners. It discusses the potential impact of social networks and social identities on intercultural competence development. The chapter reviews and highlights the 'dark' sides of identity, the challenge of contested identities, and the potential for identity reconstruction/expansion through intercultural engagement, reflection, and study abroad. It also discusses the multifarious nature of language, identity, and interculturality in relation to study abroad. The chapter emphasises important links between identity, interculturality, and international educational experience, and provided an overview of contemporary, poststructuralist notions that have implications for research and practice in the field of international education. It concludes with suggestions for researchers of identity and interculturality in study abroad contexts.
