This book narrates the ubiquitous relationship that international students have with their destination community, asking why students are not part of these communities despite being visible actors not only as students but as neighbours and as workers in the service industries and the gig economy.

This book examines international students living and working in Australia through a cultural and communications lens, bringing together almost a decade of interviews and online surveys. It provides insight into their transnational identities and social and cultural practices in real-world and digital spaces. Despite being an integral part of the ethnographic landscape of the places they occupy, this book argues that international students are often not an integrated part of the wider community. To remedy this, international students have found ways to explore and communicate their experiences as transient migrants in Australia. This book thus goes beyond canonical academic commentary on the international student experience - which often views them as vulnerable migrants - to suggest that students create a sense of community and belonging while providing the wider Australian public insights into the international student experience through the creative arts.

This book will appeal to scholars, upper-level students, and researchers with interests in international and comparative education, sociology of education, urban education, cultural studies, migration studies, and youth studies.

About the Author

Catherine Gomes is a professor of culture and communication in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University, Australia.

Reviews

With Australia as her case study, Gomes provides a fascinating and vivid portrait of the everyday lives of international students and their place in community. - Emerita Professor Elspeth Jones, Emerita Professor, Leeds Beckett University, UK

Vivid, complex, and rigorous, Gomes draws on her decade-long in-depth research on international students in Australia to challenge stereotypes and give international students a voice through riveting narratives and insightful analyses. Engaging and empathetic, Gomes' book is conceptually refreshing and empirically robust. A must read for policy makers, educators and practitioners in international education and beyond! - Associate Professor Cora Lingling Xu, Durham University, UK

With the notion of 'visibility', this book represents a welcome intervention in the fast-growing research on international students. Uniquely, this work foregrounds international students' place in the community, as well as their experiences told through their own voices. This engaging book is a must read for all those working on international students. - Peidong Yang, Assistant Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Gomes offers a thorough and expert analysis in this book on the intricate and ubiquitous relationship between international students and the host communities in Australia. It is a must read for policy makers, researchers and practitioners in the area of international education in Australia and beyond. - Jing Qi, Senior Lecturer, RMIT University, Australia

Book Information
ISBN 9781032903255
Author Catherine Gomes
Format Paperback
Page Count 92
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd