The affective economy of internationalisation: migrant academics in and out of Japanese higher education

Morley, L., Leyton, D. and Hada, Y. (2019) The affective economy of internationalisation: migrant academics in and out of Japanese higher education. Policy Reviews in Higher Education, 3(1), pp. 51-74. (doi: 10.1080/23322969.2018.1564353)

Abstract

Internationalisation is a polyvalent policy discourse, saturated in conceptual and ideological ambiguity. It is an assemblage of commodification, exploitation and opportunity and is a container for multiple aspirations, anxieties, and affordances. It combines modernisation, detraditionalisation, and expansiveness, with knowledge capitalism, linguistic imperialism, and market dominance. There are notable policy shadows and silences, especially relating to the emerging subjectivities, motivations and narratives of internationalised subjects, and experiences that expose the gendered, racialised, epistemic and affective inequalities constituting academic mobility. This paper explores the affective economy and policyscape of internationalisation drawing upon interview data gathered in one private and one national university in Japan with 13 migrant academics. What emerged from our study is that internationalisation policies, processes and practices generate multiple affective engagements. Internationalising oneself can be repressive and generative, with migrant academics finding themselves both vulnerable and animated by their diverse and frequently embodied experiences.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Leyton Atenas, Mr Daniel
• Authors: Morley, L., Leyton, D., and Hada, Y.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Journal Name: Policy Reviews in Higher Education
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISSN: 2332-2950
• ISSN (Online): 2332-2969
• Published Online: 29 January 2019