Aarhus University, Denmark
27th – 28th Mar 2014
Deadline: 1st Nov 2013
In this workshop, we aim to bring together scholars working within and across the three phases of studies abroad: before, during and after. This will allow us to explore the reflections, strategies and institutional arrangements that propel the decision to study abroad; the importance of the cultural encounters that take place in the foreign setting; as well as the overall impact of student migration on Chinese society.
Keynote Speakers
DAVID ZWEIG (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)
VANESSA FONG (Amherst College)
Higher education enrolment in the People’s Republic has quadrupled since the turn of the century. In the same period, educational migration has undergone a rapid increase and Chinese nationals today make up the largest group of international students globally. This traffic of talent is institutionally encouraged by the internationalisation of higher education abroad and by Chinese policies that are no longer driven by the fear of ‘brain drain’. It is also encouraged by sociohistorical ideas and trends specific to contemporary China. State welfare has largely been dismantled and the Maoist critique of individualism has be come a thing of the past. In its place we today find a widespread assumption that the individual is personally responsible for his or her academic and financial success. It has therefore become a crucial aspect of the generational destiny of young Chinese today that they are simultaneously facing seemingly limitless options for upwards mobility and an increasingly intense competition from gradually better educated peers. The generation of Chinese coming of age today is expected to be more ‘global’ than any of their precursors, and the vast majority of Chinese students abroad study in countries that they consider to be, on the whole, more ‘developed’ than China. But what are the consequences of this vast population movement for the individuals, families, local communities and countries involved?
In this workshop, we aim to bring together scholars working within and across the three phases of studies abroad: before, during and after. This will allow us to explore the reflections, strategies and institutional arrangements that propel the decision to study abroad; the importance of the cultural encounters that take place in the foreign setting; as well as the overall impact of student migration on Chinese society.
WE INVITE PAPERS EXPLORING
- how studying abroad becomes a viable choice for young Chinese
- the role played in this respect by China’s state policies, educational market, educational ideals, and family expectations and strategies
- Chinese students’ adaption to foreign learning cultures, labour markets, youth cultures and ways of life
- the impact of intercultural experience upon the worldviews of Chinese students
- the life and career trajectories of Chinese students after their studies abroad
- how returnees are reintegrated into Chinese society
- how the intercultural experience, networks and ideas of these students impact upon the future of Chinese society
Abstracts of approximately 500 words should be sent to csa@hum.au.dk by 1 November 2013. Upon acceptance, applicants will be asked to submit a conference fee of 70€. Final papers should be handed in by 3 March 2014.
The workshop is organised by professor Stig Thøgersen and postdoctoral fellow Anders Sybrandt Hansen, Asian Studies, Aarhus University. The organizers plan to publish selected papers as an edited book or a special issue of a journal.
Workshop webpage
http://cas.au.dk/aktuel/arrangement/artikel/workshop-chinese-students-abroad/