The Nexus of Privilege and Precarity in Transnational Academic Mobility

This chapter uses an intracategorical intersectional approach to explore the nexus of precarity and privilege in transnational academic mobility/migration. We use 11 testimonials by migrant women academics from the Global South or peripheries of the Global North to challenge the assumption that transnational mobility is inherently equitable and should only be considered a privilege. To do this, we focus on the implications of academic mobility for 11 migrant women academics. The testimonials show that precarity and privilege co-shape the lived experiences of migrant and mobile academics. This complicates the notion of privilege, which is often used in an individualistic way. We highlight the asymmetry in the intellectual exchange between institutions and countries in the Global North or the Global South or peripheries of the Global North. Through the analysis of the testimonials in the form of personal narratives, the chapter exposes the emotional, professional, and social costs of academic mobility/migration for women academics and the complexities of transnationalism.