Intra-European Student Mobility in International Higher Education Circuits

Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this book empirically investigates the (im)mobility decisions, social network formation, sense of European identity and migratory aspirations of higher education students. It draws on a large-scale survey, in-depth interviews and focus groups, conducted in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Norway, Poland and the UK.

Grounded on theoretical debates and diverse empirical data, the book certainly contributes to the empirical sociology of the European Union. It is not only relevant for those scholars who are researching student migration or mobility, but also for those dealing with issues of the ongoing horizontal Europeanization process. Enriching the theoretical debate on international student migration and social transnationalism, the findings presented in this book will surely stimulate further research on these topics. (Leandro Aramburu, International Sociology Reviews, Vol. 3 (2), 2017)

Translated from Dutch:

The findings are too numerous to summarize. With a lot of attention for detail, in balance with presenting the bigger story, Van Mol shows which factors matter, and above all that these factors should be considered in context. This is an extensive study of student mobility, very much worth a read. The fact that this book does not formulate concrete recommendations is not a shortcoming, as it is Van Mol's explicit aim to deliver a scientific contribution. (Jeroen Huisman, TH&MA Hoger Onderwijs, 2015)

In providing a distinction between degree mobility (common in international student mobility) and credit mobility (common in European student mobility), Van Mol skilfully unpicks Erasmus students from the umbrella of the international cohort, giving them a distinct identity which has not necessarily been portrayed in other studies. (Children's Geographies)

Autorentext
Christof Van Mol is Researcher at the Centre for Migration and Intercultural Studies, University of Antwerp, Belgium, and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, the Netherlands. His research project into intra-European student mobility was funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO).

Inhalt

1. Introduction 2. Intra-European Student Mobility, Post-Industrial Society and European Integration 3. Who Goes Abroad? 4. The Reconstruction of a Social Network Abroad 5. Erasmus Students: Frenzied Euro-Enthusiasts? 6. The Nexus between Student Mobility and Future Migration Aspirations 7. Conclusion