Academic mobility and intercultural dialogue : Eastern European migrants in Australia, Canada and Italy

Abstract

In this thesis, I examine processes of professional integration of Eastern European academic migrants. I focus on role of culture and cultural patterns in migrants' intercultural communication encounters. Culture is operationalised by invoking Bourdieu's concepts of cultural capital and habitus which describe both individual and collective long-lasting values, beliefs, knowledge and cultural dispositions which can often act on subconscious level. Bourdieu's theoretical work guides this study by assigning culture a central role in maintaining and reproducing unequal social relations. My research explores how two generalized and dissimilar cultural patterns (collectivism and individualism) shape and precondition processes of social interaction and integration as experienced by migrants. My fieldwork employed critical qualitative research methods to magnify exploration and interpretation. Data collection processes included participant observation techniques, focus groups and semi-structured in-depth interviews with academic migrants. Empirical interview questions were designed to analyze central three dimensions of embodied cultural capital: 1) Conception of The Self, experiences in expressing views and opinions, emotions and feelings; 2) Relations to Authority, including experiences in relating to superiors, colleagues and subordinates; and 3) Ways of Dealing with Conflicts, including experiences in facing, interpreting and resolving conflict situations. My research concentrates on academic professionals who chose Australia or Canada as their destinations for permanent migration. A third contrasting case is chosen – European University Institute (EUI) in Italy - to examine experiences of more liquid and hyper-mobile academics. Inclusion of EUI research extended exploration of migration issues beyond traditional boundaries of settler society. Participants represent both genders and their age ranges from late 20s to late 50s. They come from over twelve different countries of birth in Central/Eastern Europe and have professional qualifications in a variety of scholarly disciplines. In 2007-2008, forty individual face-to-face formal in-depth interviews with academic migrants were conducted in Australia, Canada and Italy. The research analyzed multiple layers of intercultural dialogue to reveal conditions for successful professional integration with a view of knowledge creation. The study found that optimal conditions for intercultural success include cultural openness, genuine acceptance, minimal power distance, and deeper interpersonal engagement. It was also found in this study that creating shared meanings is especially difficult where people seem to be non-acceptant to new knowledge and new cultural patterns. In some cases, intolerance originated from culturally inbuilt strong stereotypes concerning the stranger and ethnocentric beliefs. This research testifies that postmodern cosmopolitan milieu, combining multiple cultural influences under mostly egalitarian gaze, facilitates cultural integration of migrants and warrants knowledge creation of shared cultural meanings. It is therefore a central argument of this thesis that mutual openness to cultural diversity and reciprocated willingness to engage with new cultural patterns are critical prerequisites not only to migrant feelings of well-being, but also to effective transfer and creation of all types shared meanings. This conclusion has important implications for immigrant-attracting countries which are competing globally in today's intensified race for talent. The research contributes to developing forward-looking policies, practices and cultural predispositions for successfully embracing academic mobility for public benefit.