Home Country Research Articles

How does colonial history matter for expatriate adjustment? The case of Brazilians in Portugal

AbstractThe literature on expatriation typically assumes that cultural and institutional familiarity facilitates expatriate adjustment. This assumption underplays the role of the historical context, especially the influence of painful colonial pasts that often lie beneath such familiarity. In addition, seeking to capture expatriate adjustment as a single measure, such literature does not engage with the differences in the extent to which expatriates achieve cognitive, behavioral, and affective adjustment. Using a qualitative study addressing the work experiences of Brazilians living in Portugal, we argue that to fully understand expatriate adjustment, we must pay attention to the historical colonial relationship between the expatriate’s home and host country. Specifically, we discuss the importance of social representations of history for how expatriates narrate, interpret, and act in response to their experiences. Our research makes two theoretical contributions. First, we explain how historical colonial relationships affect expatriate adjustment and how this leads to adjustment only being partial. Second, we develop a nuanced understanding of expatriate adjustment by drawing attention to its three interdependent dimensions (cognitive, behavioral, and affective), showing that an expatriate may be well adjusted in one dimension but less adjusted in another. We call for organizations to engage more, and more critically, with history.

The use of social media in plastic surgery biomedical research: scoping systematic review

Background: Social media has become ubiquitous; its uses reach beyond connecting individuals or organizations. Many biomedical researchers have found social media to be a useful tool in recruiting patients for clinical studies, crowdsourcing for cross-sectional studies, and even as a method of intervention. Social media usefulness in biomedical research has largely been in population health and non-surgical specialties, however, its usefulness in surgical specialties should not be overlooked. Specifically in plastic surgery, social media use to understand patient perceptions, identify populations, and provide care has become an important part of clinical practice. Methods: A scoping review was performed utilizing PubMed and Medline databases, and articles were screened for the use of social media as a method of recruitment to a clinical trial, as crowdsourcing (i.e., recruitment for a cross-sectional or survey-based study), or as a method of intervention. Results: A total of 28 studies were included, which focused on majority females between 18–34 years old. Despite the ability of the internet and social media to connect people worldwide, nearly all the studies focused on the researchers’ home countries. The studies largely focused on social media’s effect on self-esteem and acceptance of cosmetic surgery, but other notable trends were analyses of patient perceptions of a disease, or surgical outcomes as reported in social media posts. Discussion: Overall, social media can be a useful tool for plastic surgeons looking to recruit patients for a survey-based study or crowdsourcing of information.

A Quantitative Analysis of University Admission Results for Hungarian Ethnic Minority Students in the Carpathian Basin

This study analyses the higher education admission results of Hungarian ethnic minority students in Hungary originating from Central and Eastern European countries (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Romania) by secondary education background (national system vs. foreign system) and school-leaving qualification background (advanced and intermediate levels in Hungary and their native country). Students (n = 759) take (or have taken) part in undivided (5-year) and bachelor (3-year) programs at universities in Hungary and, for historical reasons, live as ethnic minorities in their home countries in the Carpathian Basin. There are significant differences in the number of students according to their secondary education background. Of the admitted students, 83.7% graduated from a national system secondary school and 16.3% from a foreign system secondary school before entering higher education. Using a Mann–Whitney U-test, we confirmed that the admission scores of students from the national secondary education system are significantly different from the scores of students who graduated from a foreign secondary education system (p < 0.001). The results of the Jonckheere–Terpstra test demonstrated that students with advanced-level exam results performed significantly better than those who entered higher education with intermediate-level or native country examination results (p < 0.001). However, there is no detectable difference (p > 0.05) between students who graduate at the intermediate level and students who graduate with a native country certificate. A regression model, based on the median admission scores, exhibited a trend of improving results for foreign students. The R2 quadratic determination coefficient is 0.705. This study provides insights into the educational pathways and decisions of Hungarian students residing abroad, underlining the influence of the national context and public education systems on their educational trajectories.

A dream of lies: stories of Bangladeshi maid migrants in the Middle East

ABSTRACT Being a socially conservative country, a number of Bangladeshi female migrant workers working in abroad are not as many as the male. However, in recent times, the number increased a lot, but still female migrant workers are very much under-researched and a minor in getting policy attention. This present study thus tries to fill that gap and to identify the influencing factors of female maid migration, their life as migrants and the reintegration processes of these migrant returnees. This is a qualitative study where interviews were conducted 20 female who worked in middle east as the housemaid and who were registered as migrant returnees at different government and non-government organizations. A thematic analytical procedure was used to analyse the data. The study finds that female workers migrate to Middle East mostly for economic purposes to overcome their economic challenges in home country; however, they face a number of violences such as physical abuse, socio-psychological torture which put their dream in challenge. The result of the study also shows that as the returnees, these female workers faced reintegration challenges too. To make their dream come true, with many other policies, government should introduce functional monitoring cells in the respective countries.

“What have I done?”: an interview with Dr. Lauren J. Breen about her career path and her vision for a grief literate society

ABSTRACT This text is a conversation that occurred virtually between Canadian and Australian colleagues. Both women are educators, researchers, and psychologists working in the field of death studies. Having collaborated on several scholarly projects, and being deeply committed to grief education, it seemed fitting for Carrie Traher to spend time chatting with Lauren Breen about her work, her life, her career path, and what allows her to live fully. This interview showcases Lauren’s far-reaching impact on research and policy within her home country of Australia, as well as internationally.

Fostering Mother Language and Cultural Preservation: Perspectives of Three Latina Immigrant Mothers in the United States

ABSTRACT This article explores the experiences of three Latina women who migrated to the United States from different countries and navigated the challenges of raising their children in a cross-cultural environment while striving to preserve their cultural heritage and language. Through narrative interviews and thematic analysis, the study highlights the significance of language as a cultural bridge and the advantages of bilingualism in a multicultural society. The findings reveal that these mothers actively engage in teaching their children their native language, emphasizing the importance of language in maintaining cultural roots and connections with their home countries. They recognize the economic advantages of bilingualism, believing it provides their children with increased job opportunities and professional advantages. Additionally, the study underscores the sacrifices these mothers make for their children’s education and the crucial role of parental involvement in language development and cultural preservation. The findings have implications for policymakers, educators, and parents, emphasizing the importance of supporting bilingual education and recognizing the value of cultural diversity in society. By fostering bilingualism and cultural preservation, these mothers shape their children’s cultural identity, expand their opportunities, and prepare them for success in a diverse and globalized world.

When Guests Become Hosts: The Boomerang Effect of Tourists’ Negative Behaviors on Their Country of Origin

Tourists are commonly regarded as ambassadors shaping their country’s image in international tourism. However, the role of the boomerang effect for outbound tourists on their country of origin is often overlooked in theory and practice. Through four studies, this groundbreaking research explores the boomerang effect of tourists’ negative behaviors on their home countries, encompassing the impact on tourism imports and subsequent spillover effects on manufacturing product exports. The findings reveal that tourists’ negative behaviors not only diminish the willingness of destination residents to visit the tourist-originating country by influencing perceived warmth and psychological distance but also decrease their intention to purchase manufactured products from the country of origin by amplifying psychological distance. Importantly, the moderating effect of product added value in spillover effects is highlighted. These conclusions expand the influence of tourists’ negative behaviors and innovatively bridge theoretical perspectives between the tourism and manufacturing industries on the reverse country-of-origin effects.

Gender and migration: A continuum of gender-based violence echoing across the Sinai Desert and into Israel

Gender-based violence (GBV) is widespread globally and is based on social roles. These social roles represent society’s expectations of men and women carrying out stereotyped functions and behaviours. These gendered social expectations vary across culture, space and time. Drawing from an empirical study in Israel and building on the previous literature on these issues, this qualitative and interdisciplinary article identifies various forms of GBV along Eritrean women’s journey from their home country into Israel. The empirical work helps to examine the findings of previous theoretical studies. This article establishes that there is a continuum of violence for women, especially refugees and asylum seekers, rooted in the standard system of oppression – patriarchy. This has triggered the flight and trafficking of refugees from Eritrea through the Sinai Desert and into Israel. The article argues that structural and cultural violence emanating from both the hosted community and the host community play significant roles in allowing the circumstances for GBV to thrive throughout the entire refugee cycle. What can be seen is the creation of multiple layers of vulnerabilities, particularly the specific social–legal–economic marginalization of segments of the population, including Eritrean asylum-seeking women. Reacting to this continuum of violence, many participants in the study argued that it was necessary to adopt strategies to create a continuum of resilience and resistance grounded on women’s sorority, support and agency.

Across the Sea to Ireland: Return Atlantic Migration before the First World War

Abstract Are return migrants “losers” who fail to adapt to the challenges of the host economy, thereby exacerbating the brain drain linked to emigration? Or are they “winners” whose return enhances the human and physical capital of the home country? This article analyzes databases constructed from the 1911 Irish population and 1910 US censuses to address these issues for returnees to Ireland from North America more than a century ago. The evidence suggests that returnees had the edge over Ireland’s population, but not those who stayed on in the US in terms of human capital, as proxied by occupation and literacy; returning couples also had fewer children than the stay-at-homes, and their children spent longer at school. It also shows that returnees were less likely to return to the poorer regions of Ireland.

A comparative study of home and host country effects on the academic performance of Chinese students in transnational education

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of intercultural learning, from the perspective of home versus host country, on the academic performance of Chinese students in an Australian university’s transnational education program. It integrates transformative learning theory and cognitive load theory as the conceptual framework and compares the academic performance of students who remained in China with those who went to Australia to complete the same Australian university degree. Using a difference-in-differences approach, our analysis revealed a significant performance difference between the Australia-based and China-based groups by year level after controlling for academic ability. The findings have practical and policy implications for student support and transnational education program management in Australian universities. The study highlights the need for tailored support to help Chinese (and possibly other international) students during their first year of arrival in Australia. It also calls for embedding intercultural learning into discipline-specific programs.

Management of Massive Iatrogenic Temporal Lobe Meningoencephalocele and Bacterial Meningitis Following Pediatric Cochlear Implant Surgery.

To review the management of meningitis, large lateral skull base defect, and meningoencephalocele following pediatric cochlear implant (CI) surgery. Case report. Patient demographics, medical and surgical history, computed tomography (CT). An 8-year-old male with congenital severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss underwent uncomplicated right CI surgery at 18 months of age. He returned to his home country and received a bilateral sequential left ear CI at age 2. Five years following his second CI surgery, he presented to his local emergency room with worsening fever, headache, back pain, and vomiting. Lumbar puncture confirmed bacterial meningitis, and he was managed with intravenous antibiotics. The hospital course was complicated by a right-sided facial nerve paresis, prompting a temporal bone CT. Imaging demonstrated a tegmen defect measuring 15 mm × 10 mm with soft tissue opacification involving the entire mastoid and CI harness. He was then referred by family back to our institution. Intraoperatively, we identified a massive temporal lobe meningoencephalocele involving the entire mastoid cavity and engulfing the entire proximal electrode harness. Following middle cranial fossa craniotomy and revision mastoidectomy, proximal and distal array were separated, encephalocele transected, and remaining temporal lobe reduced. The lateral skull base was reconstructed with calvarial bone, temporalis fascia, and bovine collagen graft. The remnant electrode array was removed, a new CI receiver stimulator was fixed postero-superiorly to the cranial defect, and a new multichannel array inserted. A titanium cranioplasty completed the repair. A lumbar drain was placed for 3 days. Recovery and CI activation occurred uneventfully. Risk of encephalocele and meningitis underscores the importance of early identification, adequate repair, and long-term radiologic follow-up of iatrogenic tegmen defects during pediatric CI surgery.

A Unified Canon? Latin American Graduate Training in Comparative Politics

ABSTRACT In Latin American comparative politics, a tension exists between North Americanization and parochialism. While certain academic scholarship is published in Scopus-indexed journals that engage with “mainstream” Global North literature, other works are found in non-indexed outlets, focusing solely on their home countries and fostering parochial scientific communities. To assess this tension in graduate program curricula, we compiled an original dataset of comparative politics readings from 21 universities across nine Latin American countries. Our network analysis reveals a centralized structure influenced by mainstream readings, challenging the expectation of parochialism. In addition to the mainstream content, universities tend to incorporate readings from regional journals to facilitate cross-case comparisons. However, these materials are inconsistently shared, resulting in fragmentation of content from Latin American sources. Our findings contribute to and challenge the North Americanization versus parochialism debate, showing that future scholars receive similar mainstream training but encounter diverse regional materials during their PhD studies.

The settler homeland: racial violence, frontier colonialism, and Filipino repatriation

ABSTRACT On March 1938, representatives from the Philippine Commonwealth and Filipino American community organizations organized the First Official Filipino National Convention in Seattle. A committee proposed to send their less-educated kababayan (countrymen) to the Philippines to colonize Mindanao, the archipelago's Moro (Muslim) and Lumad (non-Muslim and non-Christian Indigenous) South. For Filipino American leaders, state expansion into the archipelago's south was a project of recuperating the utility and respectability of destitute Filipino migrant men, and thus, for the growth of the provisional nation itself. By following Filipino repatriation schemes within migrant communities, and their relationship with the Philippine state's aspirations to expand into the south, I argue that Filipino diasporic nationalism - the consolidation of migrants' affiliations not with their regions and hometowns, but with a bourgeois patriotism that lays claim to the entire Philippine archipelago - constitutively imagined the ‘home country' as a settler homeland, a simultaneous place of homeward return as well as economic development and conquest. Probing the intersections between Asian American history, Southeast Asian statecraft, and settler colonial studies, I critical reconsider two fundamental questions in Asian migrant life: Where exactly is the home country—and what does it mean to ‘go back to where you came from’?

Motivations of Israeli physicians to return, or not, to Israel after their fellowship abroad.

Emigration of healthcare professionals, particularly physicians, is an unresolved "pandemic", influenced by various factors. In high-income countries, the training phase (fellowship) abroad is critical for career development, yet it poses challenges for the retention of these professionals upon their completion of training. This study aimed to identify the determinants influencing Israeli physicians' decisions to return to their home country after completing fellowship training abroad. This cross-sectional study conducted in early 2024, surveyed Israeli physicians with post-graduate training who pursued a fellowship abroad between 2013 and 2024. An anonymous survey included questions on demographics, training experience, and professional challenges. Analytical methods included descriptive statistics and regression analysis to explore factors associated with the decision to return. Of the 323 individuals surveyed, 297 met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 141 (47.5%) have returned to Israel, while 156 (52.5%) currently reside abroad, 48 (31%) of them have completed their fellowship. Respondents identified several challenges, beginning with a complex application process prior to fellowship (47% stated this as a major challenge), substantial financial burdens averaging 35,546 USD in direct out-of-pocket expenses during, and job uncertainty, with only 55% having secured positions upon return. Of the 156 Israeli fellows still abroad, 107 (69%) reported medium to low confidence in returning. Factors associated with a higher likelihood of confidence in returning to Israel included a secured job position upon return (OR 8.6, 95% CI 3.1-28.9) and having an opportunity for a position that would utilize the skills gained during the fellowship (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.3-10.2). The decision to return to Israel after a fellowship abroad is influenced by a mix of professional, personal, and geopolitical factors. To counteract the critical issue of brain drain, it is essential to enhance occupational certainty for returning physicians. These findings highlight the urgent need for healthcare policies that provide robust support for returning professionals and address their specific challenges.

“Unwanted guests” or welcomed neighbors? Portrayals of Ukrainian refugees in Russian, Polish, and UK news coverage

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine forced more than eight million Ukrainians to seek refuge outside their home country. This study analyzed the press coverage of displaced Ukrainians during the first year of the war in three countries that resettled some of the largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees: Poland, Russia, and the UK. The researchers found important differences in how news organizations from the three countries portrayed Ukrainian refugees. Polish and UK coverage was mainly neutral and sympathetic toward Ukrainian refugees, while Russian coverage depended on where stories were set geographically.

Determinants of the effectiveness of education and training in Indonesian migrant workers

This study explores the effectiveness of education and training programs for Indonesian migrant workers, who often seek employment abroad due to limited opportunities and low wages in their home country. The increasing numbers of migrant workers, combined with their significant economic contributions, highlight the need for effective training to enhance their self-reliance and reduce the likelihood of returning to overseas work. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research identifies key determinants of program success, including financial literacy, self-management, motivation, and social support. The findings reveal that while macro-level policies are still insufficient, effective mapping and guidance at the micro level show promising results. Successful training programs positively impact the workers' independence, with those who acquire essential skills more likely to pursue entrepreneurship upon returning to Indonesia, rather than seeking further employment abroad. The study underscores the importance of incorporating financial and digital literacy, along with entrepreneurship training, into the curriculum to foster long-term economic independence for Indonesian migrant workers.

Admission Strategy for International New Students at the University of Mataram

Recruiting international students is highly beneficial yet challenging for universities in Indonesia. This study raised research focusing on strategies applied by Indonesian Universities to attract international students' willingness to enroll. It also figured out the challenges and solutions encountered by the students in their initial studies. This study adopted Vincent Tinto's theory about the factors affecting students' academic accomplishments and learning failures. Qualitative design, case study approach, and open-ended questionnaires were implemented. This study invited three staff members of the International Affairs and International Center as the participants. Thematic analysis was adopted utilizing Atlas. Ti software to analyze the data from the respondents following Kawulich's (2004) framework, encompassing Narrative, Coding, Interpretation, Confirmation, and Presentation. The result demonstrated some strategies implemented by Mataram University for international students, such as providing proper facilities, including library and study spaces, access to technology, and a health center. The university also utilizes international alumni to endorse the university in their home country. Alongside the hurdles, the university provides students with a welcoming ceremony that includes a language course, academic orientation, and cultural adaptation programs upon their arrival

Beyond the horizon: exploring the experiences of indentured returnees in their plantation colonies and homeland

ABSTRACT This paper focuses centrally on returned indentured Indian labourers and examines the indenture system through their experiences, narratives, and savings. While the majority of research on the indenture system takes a ‘for’ or ‘against’ stance, this paper acknowledges the range of experiences and makes the case that, despite the tragic nature of the returnees’ story and the regret and loss they endured, not every experience in the colonies was depressingly bad. This paper analyses official archival and non-official sources to establish that the plantation experience was quite diverse. Many people made their economic fortunes by savings and experienced social upliftment on the plantations by creating casteless space, but when they returned after their contract, they struggled to integrate into their home country and families.

O TRÁFICO INTERNACIONAL DE PESSOAS PARA FINS DA EXPLORAÇÃO SEXUAL NO BRASIL

This paper aims to analyze international human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Brazil. This crime represents not only a vulnerability on the part of the victims of this crime, but also, and mainly, a failure of the State towards them. This criminal offense predomitantly affects those who are marginalized from society, who are lured by the promise of a change in their lives, of fulfilling a dream that would be unattainable in their home country due to their reality. Criminals demonstrate that in a given country it is fully achieved. Therefore, this study seeks to understand how this practice has occurred over time and with Brazilian legislative developments regarding protection standards. Justifica-se a análise, pois a sua incidência vem crescendo cada vez mais. Brazil will be analyzed since it is considered a supplier of women, trans people and children for this market, aiming to understand how the practice of this crime is typified in the Brazilian legal system, and what public policies have been developed; and also to analyze the international agreements of greatest relevance to the subject, the main one being the Palermo Convention. To this end, the work developed is the result of qualitative research that used the deductive method, through documentary and bibliographical research, statistical analysis and the verification of some operations carried out by the State. Finally, it can be concluded that the study and understanding of this theme is extremely important for the prevention of human trafficking.

Trauma Narratives: Collective Memories as Literature by Indochinese Refugees in the United States

Indochinese refugees in the United States are part of Asian Americans, whose narratives portray their life in their home countries, journeys to the new world and life in the United States, their new world. This study investigates three primary texts by American authors of Indochinese descent, including Lan Cao’s Monkey Bridge, Sichan Siv’s Golden Bones and Sucheng Chan’s Hmong Means Free. These three texts are highly historicised, portraying traumatic experiences of Indochinese refugees who suffer from war and communist persecution in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, respectively. These texts are considered trauma narratives serving as collective memories of those people, which help them to remember their pasts and constitute their group identity. The narratives in the three primary texts also explain how Indochinese subjects come to be Asian Americans and reveal that in fact the United States is considered an important cause of their diaspora and trauma. The authors of those narratives are unable to eradicate the traumatic memories from their psyche, so they yearn for voices to vent out those memories as a form of healing. Their trauma narratives have become part of American culture which is partially constituted by trauma suffered by different groups of people in this country.