ABSTRACT
Too many students of higher education are experiencing psychosocial problems and the numbers are currently high and on the rise. This opening chapter introduces how we research student experiences of dealing with psychosocial problems in order to enhance our understanding of the battles students fight to develop academic identities and a sense of belonging in particular institutional and societal contexts. The chapter develops our theoretical understanding of psychosocial problems and of belonging, presenting the concepts of the proper student, shame, and inequality. We argue that by exploring students’ experiences of psychosocial problems and challenges to their belonging in higher education, we can gain new insight into problems of student life and dynamics of (mis)recognition. Finally, we present the contribution of the book and the content of the following chapters.
