Session Information
07 SES 13 C, Decent Protection? Social Inclusion, Education, and the Complex Realities of Refugee Lives in the European Migration Regime (Part 2)
Symposium
Contribution
This study examines the complex dynamics of Syrian students' educational mobility to Portugal, conceptualizing it as a case of "survival mobility". Drawing on semi-structured interviews with ten Syrian students enrolled in Portuguese higher education institutions, we analyze how Portugal's dual peripheral position—both in international student mobility and refugee hosting—paradoxically creates unique opportunities for forcibly mobile students. Through the theoretical lens of Gateley's (2015) framework of refugee agency and Streitwieser's (2019) categorisation of different forms of mobility, we unveil what we term the 'offbeat advantage paradox': while mainstream destinations offer established support systems, Portugal's semi-peripheral position, combined with targeted initiatives like the Global Platform for Higher Education in Emergencies, facilitates more accessible pathways to higher education through reduced competition and comprehensive financial support. Our findings reveal that despite Portugal's avant-garde programs for facilitating entry into higher education, institutional support remains insufficient for ensuring comprehensive integration. Syrian students demonstrate significant agency in navigating structural constraints, particularly in language acquisition and academic recognition processes. However, their integration often depends more on individual resilience than formal and institutional support networks. This research contributes to both international student mobility and refugee studies by demonstrating how offbeat destinations might present strategic advantages for forcibly mobile students, while simultaneously highlighting the persistent gap between access and integration in higher education systems.
References
Gateley, D. E. (2015). A policy of vulnerability or agency? Refugee young people's opportunities in accessing further and higher education in the UK. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 45(1), 26-46. Streitwieser, B. (2019). International Education for Enlightenment, for Opportunity and for Survival: Where Students, Migrants and Refugees Diverge. Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, 11, 4-9.
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