Integration by proximity (proxy): myth or reality? Acculturation experiences of Muslim women in Winnipeg's secular universities

Abstract

This study explores how Muslim women of immigrant background experience acculturation and belonging in secular universities. This matters because Muslim women’s experiences in Prairie universities remain less visible, while attention centers on larger provinces or public controversies about religious identity. In this context, the study asks how these women understand integration, move across acculturation positions, and negotiate intersecting religious, cultural, gendered, and educational identities. It also examines how they use community resources to navigate institutional challenges. The study is based on interviews with Muslim women at three Winnipeg universities, including the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, and the Université de Saint-Boniface. The analysis uses Berry’s acculturation framework with Yosso’s community cultural wealth model and a diachronic approach. In this study, acculturation is not a fixed position, but a situated movement shaped by factors such as family, faith, community, institutional recognition, and political events. The findings indicate that integration through proximity is incomplete when it means only access to university spaces. At the same time, participants continue their studies, adjust to campus life, build relationships, and plan future careers. However, they also face stereotyping, selective visibility, pressure to explain themselves, and uncertainty about institutional support. In response, faith, family networks, Muslim student associations, friendships, and community ties help participants find care, practical guidance, resilience, and ways to resist and counter exclusion. This study concludes that integration should be understood as a process that recognizes multiple facets of identity and belonging, separation, or assimilation. It also generates recommendations, including reciprocal recognition, concrete accommodation, and university cultures that enable Muslim women to belong without surrendering core values.