Résumés
Abstract
Critical and intersectional perspectives on international student mobility (ISM) are burgeoning; however, gendered aspects are still rarely examined. This paper offers a contribution to this lacuna and provides further understanding of how gender shaped the experiences of six women international students from the Global South. The women participated in episodic narrative interviews as part of a wider study analyzing ISM in relation to socioeconomic status (SES). Women constitute more than half of the international students in the U.K., reflecting aspects of the feminization of migration. Consequently, the narratives were critically interrogated as to the extent to which the women were aligned with the “postfeminist subject.” However, the extent to which the women were “freely choosing” and “self-reinventing” is contested, in relation to choices, financial independence, and career aspirations. The findings indicated that there was a realignment of “success” upon near completion of educational qualifications which reflect gendered inequalities in society. Therefore, “neoliberal feminism” may be a more effective way in which to theorize an “ideal” of a balance between the imagined future identity of a “strong, independent career woman” with naturalized aspects of femininity for women international students.
Keywords:
- international student mobility,
- global south,
- gender,
- postfeminist,
- neoliberal
Résumé
Les perspectives critiques et intersectionnelles sur la mobilité internationale des étudiants (MIE) sont en plein essor, mais les aspects liés au genre sont encore rarement examinés. Cet article contribue à combler cette lacune et permet de mieux comprendre l’impact du genre sur les expériences de six étudiantes internationales du Sud global. Ces six femmes ont participé à des entrevues narratives épisodiques dans le cadre d’une étude plus large qui avait pour but d’analyser la MIE en relation avec le statut socio-économique (SSE). Le genre féminin représente plus de la moitié des étudiants étrangers au Royaume-Uni, un fait qui reflète certains aspects de la féminisation de la migration. C’est pourquoi les récits recueillis ont fait l’objet d’une interrogation critique quant à la mesure dans laquelle les femmes s’alignaient sur le « sujet post-féministe ». Toutefois, la mesure dans laquelle les femmes « choisissent librement » et « se réinventent » est contestée au niveau des choix, de l’indépendance financière et des aspirations professionnelles. Les résultats indiquent que le concept de « réussite » est remis en question à l’approche de l’achèvement des qualifications éducatives, ce qui reflète les inégalités entre les sexes dans la société. Par conséquent, le « féminisme néolibéral » pourrait être un moyen plus efficace de théoriser à quoi pourrait ressembler l’équilibre « idéal » entre l’identité future imaginée d’une « femme de carrière forte et indépendante » et les aspects naturalisés de la féminité pour les étudiantes internationales.
Mots-clés :
- mobilité internationale des étudiants,
- sud global,
- genre,
- post-féministe,
- néolibéral
Parties annexes
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