International Student Mobility and Geopolitics: The Case of Taiwan

• In Event: Geopolitics and migration: Universities in the center

Proposal

Student mobility is often viewed through the lens of competition among higher education systems (e.g. neoliberalism, talent attraction) or aspirations among individuals (e.g. capital acquisition, migration). While these accounts provide insights into higher education developments and the lived experiences of students, these analytical anchors generally neglect the geopolitics that shape student mobility patterns (Shields & Lee, 2022). Historical disagreements, colonial ties, alliance building, détente, sanctions, and war are only some examples of geopolitics that affect student mobility. Geopolitics is particularly acute in the Global South, where states can play a dominant role in higher education and foreign policies can constrain cultural initiatives such as educational exchanges. This study examines Taiwan as a destination for international students. As a nation-state vying for international recognition, Taiwan actively recruits international students particularly from Southeast Asia and its small circle of diplomatic allies (Chan, 2021). What motivates international students to pursue studies in Taiwan? To what extent are international students in Taiwan affected by the geopolitics of cross-strait relations with Mainland China? What do these international students aspire to achieve upon graduation? Through interviews with 25 international students currently studying in Taiwan, this preliminary study examines the interface between student mobility and geopolitics to better understand the politics of the internationalization of higher education (Asada, 2021). Using theories from international relations (e.g. cultural diplomacy and soft power), the study foregrounds geopolitics as a subject of analysis rather than treat it as context (Lee, 2023; Cerna & Chou, 2022). The study extends beyond normative approaches to studying student mobility by highlighting power inequalities in international dynamics (Robertson & Wu, 2023).

Author

• Jack Lee, University of Glasgow