In the past two decades, scholarship on international student mobility (ISM) has proliferated across various social science disciplines. Of late, as the field of ISM becomes increasingly commercialized and stratified, an interest in the ethics and politics of ISM seems to be emerging, as more scholars begin to consider critically questions about rights, responsibility, justice, equality, and so forth that inhere in the thorny relationships between ISM stakeholders. To date, however, these discussions remain largely scattered. Bringing together these scattered conversations in literature, this paper outlines elements of a framework for (re)thinking the ethics and politics of ISM. The proposed framework identifies eight key ISM actors between whom various ethical and political relationships arise, where these relationships range from the social to the institutional. Furthermore, the framework discusses a number of concepts from the literature deemed pertinent in thinking further about ISM ethics and politics. This proposed framework is aimed at stimulating further conversations and efforts to make ISM more socially equitable and sustainable.

Date: September 21, 2023 (Thursday) (Hong Kong Time)

Time: 16:00-17:15

Chair: Dr Hugo Horta, The University of Hong Kong

Speaker: Dr Peidong Yang, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Peidong Yang (DPhil, Oxford) is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Peidong’s core research interests are located at the intersections of education and migration/mobility. He has conducted research projects on Singapore’s state-sponsored scholarship schemes for Chinese students; Indian students pursuing English-medium medical degrees in China, and more recently, immigrant teachers and immigrant parenting in Singapore. His research interests also extend more broadly to immigration-related issues in the context of Singapore and social studies education topics such as diversity, identity, and globalization. Peidong is the author of International Mobility and Educational Desire: Chinese Foreign Talent Students in Singapore (Palgrave, 2016) and numerous international peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. For details see www.peidongyang.com

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