Learning cultural humility through cross-national field education: International social work students’ reflections on placements in Kerala, India

Abstract In an increasingly globalised world, cultural humility is vital in social work education, which helps students learn how to engage respectfully with people from different cultures. Field education, particularly in cross-national settings, provides a transformative space for students to encounter unfamiliar worldviews, enabling the transition from an ‘expert’ stance to developing a more introspective and progressive approach. This study explores the experiences of social work students from a Global North university who undertook their field placements in Kerala, India. Using a qualitative method, the study gathered reflections from 13 international students. Guided by Attride-Stirling’s thematic framework, four dominant themes were identified: (a) encounter with cultural context and social work practice in India; (b) paradigm shift through cultural immersion and reflexivity; (c) navigating identity, power, and practice challenges; and (d) new paradigm: evolving professional identity and global perspective. Findings underscore the pedagogical value of Global South placements in developing the cultural competence of social work students. The insights from the international students’ trained in a Global North field placement challenge the Eurocentric paradigm, calling Global South institutions to engage in continuous reflections that encourage critical, postcolonial, and global perspectives.