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TY - JOUR AU - Noreen Saher , AU - Kinza Noor , AU - Naima Zubair , PY - 2025/06/02 Y2 - 2026/06/25 TI - Navigating Social Integration: A Qualitative Study of Nouveau Modern Students at IIUI JF - ` JA - ASSAJ VL - 3 IS - 02 SE - Articles DO - UR - https://www.assajournal.com/index.php/36/article/view/421 SP - 1277-1286 AB - <p>This&nbsp;qualitative&nbsp;study&nbsp;examines&nbsp;the subjective experiences of social integration among female students belonging&nbsp;to&nbsp;"nouveau modern" backgrounds at the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI).&nbsp;Employing&nbsp;a qualitative&nbsp;research strategy, the study examined how such students navigate&nbsp;identity, belonging, and social adjustment&nbsp;in&nbsp;a traditional academic environment. Based&nbsp;on&nbsp;in-depth interviews with 22 self-identified progressive/modern IIUI students, the study thematically&nbsp;coded&nbsp;data&nbsp;regarding&nbsp;peer relationships, cultural negotiation, symbolic consumption, and media influence. The research findings identify tension between social conformity&nbsp;to institutional&nbsp;standards and&nbsp;the&nbsp;articulation&nbsp;of real&nbsp;selves,&nbsp;with&nbsp;problems&nbsp;of class&nbsp;discrimination, peer exclusion, and&nbsp;social&nbsp;conformity to dominant cultural signifier such as dress,&nbsp;dress codes,&nbsp;language, and&nbsp;way of life. This study contributes to the ongoing debate about cultural hybridity, social conformity, and identity formation in Pakistani higher education, calling for&nbsp;academically&nbsp;diverse&nbsp;spaces that&nbsp;recognize&nbsp;and&nbsp;value&nbsp;socio-cultural diversity.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Cultural Adaptation, Social Integration, Conformist, Code Switching, Hybrid Identity, Visual Modernity, Symbolic Consumption, Linguistic Blending</p> ER -