Chinese Academic Mobility to Europe An Overview and a Plea for a Family Perspective

The European higher education and research field has attracted an increasing number of Chinese students and academics in the past few decades. This chapter gives an account of the trends, geographies, policy contexts, and socio-economic ramifications of this expanding mobility. Extending the common focus on processes at micro (individual student/scholar) or macro (political-economic and societal) levels in the scholarship, this chapter argues for more emphasis on meso-level dynamics. Specifically, it highlights the role of the family. Drawing on original research findings, this chapter examines the effects of powerful notions such as “a good wife/mother,” “a good husband/father,” and “a good (grand) son/daughter” in shaping academic mobility aspirations and practices. Narratives of research participants also make evident the differentiated impact of overseas study and academic work on the “Chinese” family.