Conceptualizing the discourse of student mobility between “periphery” and “semi-periphery”: the case of Africa and China

Mulvey, B. (2021) Conceptualizing the discourse of student mobility between “periphery” and “semi-periphery”: the case of Africa and China. Higher Education, 81(3), pp. 437-451. (doi: 10.1007/s10734-020-00549-8)

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Abstract

China is now the second most popular destination country for African international students. This paper investigates the discourse surrounding this emergent flow of students, and the main aim is to offer a new means to conceptualize mobility between non-Western nations. The article highlights weaknesses in current postcolonial conceptualizations of student mobility. A key contribution to the literature on international student mobility is that it extends and adapts existing work on the unequal and asymmetrical nature of international student mobility by drawing on the concept of semi-peripheral (post)coloniality, to examine how specific modes of integration into the “world-system” result in particular discursive formations around international student mobility. The main argument is that relative structural positions between the sending region and receiving country are mirrored in discourse around international student mobility, which contains examples of civilizational paternalism and pursuit of pragmatic foreign policy goals.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Mulvey, Dr Benjamin
Authors: Mulvey, B.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education
Journal Name:Higher Education
Publisher:Springer
ISSN:0018-1560
ISSN (Online):1573-174X
Published Online:11 May 2020

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