CALL FOR PAPERS
International Geographical Congress, 26-30 August 2012, Cologne, Germany
Learning beyond borders: Exploring the spatialities of international student mobility
Session organisers: Maggi Leung (Utrecht University) and Johanna Waters (University of Birmingham)
In the context of our increasingly connected global knowledge economy, more and more students move internationally to seek better educational opportunities. The number of international students is expected to increase to 7.2 million in 2025, as compared to 1.68 million in 1999. This group of mobile persons, despite its volume and rising strategic importance as human resource for development, has been under-studied in geographical research. Existing literature on the subject has mainly adopted a transnational education (TNE) perspective, which has been fruitful but can be limiting especially when we consider the importance of other spatialities beyond the (trans)nation in this mobility field. As these transnational mobility trajectories touch ground at multiple and inter-connected localities, a trans-local perspective can be constructive; a stronger focus on regions as a spatial category is also called for considering the highly regional characteristics of TNE (e.g. within Europe or East and Southeast Asia). The continuing dominance of 'methodological nationalism' in accounts of student migration should also be re-examined. This session is aimed at extending our understanding of international student mobility by making theoretical, empirical and methodological contributions. It provides a forum to discuss how space matters in our knowledge on this subset of mobilities and its consequences. We call for participation from researchers whose work advances our knowledge on the power of spatialities, such as (a combination of) scale, place and networks in the increasingly globalised education sector and knowledge economy. Session members will present their cutting-edge research in different geographical contexts that is marked with a distinct focus on spatialities. Together, we shall consider and debate issues including but not limited to the following:
1.The emergence of new regional dynamics around international/transnational education (e.g. within East and Southeast Asia)
2. Students' trans-local affiliations and allegiances
3. Within-country competition for international students
4. Competition for international students between and across education sectors (primary/secondary/tertiary/higher/ and post-university education)
If you are interested in presenting a paper, please contact Maggi Leung [[log in to unmask]] and Johanna Waters [[log in to unmask]]. Deadline for abstract submission: 15 December 2011. For information on how to submit proposals, see https://igc2012.org/frontend/index.php?folder_id=83&ses_id=61197c01f20e76f9ce62a77210609dc0
Dr. Johanna L. Waters
Senior Lecturer in Urban Resilience
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
The University of Birmingham,
Edgbaston,
Birmingham,
B15 2TT
Tel: 0121 4145527
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