Abstract
ABSTRACT The Brazilian University for International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (UNILAB) was created to host students from Portuguese-speaking Africa and Brazil. In this article, we look at the aims and objectives of UNILAB, which include the social integration of these students at the university. We present results from interviews conducted at UNILAB in 2018 with 63 international and domestic students. Analysis of this material shows that despite acknowledgement of the value of internationalisation at UNILAB, the social integration level of Portuguese-speaking students from outside Brazil at the university is characteristically weak among the interviewees, a situation they attribute to a lack of suitable preparation for staff at the host institution and prejudice towards African students in the local community. We consider what these findings mean for the future of UNILAB and the development of Global South-South student migration.
Highlights
Numerous studies have engaged with various aspects of student mobility in the Global North, ranging from statistical overviews to contemplation of the impact of the student migrant on host societies (e.g. Altbach and Teichler, 2001; Murphy-Lejuene, 2002; King and Raghuram, 2013)
Analysis of this material shows that despite acknowledgement of the value of internationalization at UNILAB, the social integration level of Portuguese-speaking students from outside Brazil at the university is characteristically weak among the interviewees, a situation they attribute to a lack of suitable preparation for staff at the host institution and prejudice towards African students in the local community
We have looked at the extent to which the interviewees, Brazilian and African, engage with each other in the classroom, and how the latter interact with people inside and outside the university in Redenção
Summary
Numerous studies have engaged with various aspects of student mobility in the Global North, ranging from statistical overviews to contemplation of the impact of the student migrant on host societies (e.g. Altbach and Teichler, 2001; Murphy-Lejuene, 2002; King and Raghuram, 2013). As with migrants in general, incoming students must pass through an acculturation process, learning the cultural codes of the new society This can be stressful, alongside settling into a new educational context, as despite differences relating to language, religion, previous mobility experiences, gender and race, international students tend to be considered by their host institution as a homogenous group, without taking into account their specific needs (Ballo et al, 2019). They may have to cope with homesickness, cultural shocks and discrimination at a time when they have limited social support due to separation from family, home country friends and social networks (Rienties et al, 2012). These are all issues that were covered by the research questions as part of the methodological design of the research underpinning this article
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