Researching Education in the Age of Transnational Migration: Towards a New Research Agenda

Abstract

This paper is offered as work in progress to stimulate our thinking about the changing nature of comparative and international education in the age of transnational migration. It seems clear that the shifting paradigm of transnationalism has challenged the rigid, territorial nationalism, the understanding of borders and national identities. It is making cultural boundaries and identities porous, hybrid, and dialogic. In this paper I emphasize how comparative and international education has to be rethought in the context of transnational migration as a multidirectional process where diverse identities, forms of attachment and belonging inscribe the experiences of people as they move across geographical, cultural, national, and linguistic boundaries. I call for a more expansive definition and mission of comparative and international education in exploring the impact of transnational migration on the identity, culture, and integration of immigrant populations spanning across several nations simultaneously.