International Student Mobility to and from the Middle East

Aneta Hayes is Senior Lecturer in Education and Internationalisation Director in the School of Social, Political, and Global Studies, Keele University, UK. Sally Findlow is Senior Lecturer and Director of Professional Doctorates in the School of Social, Political, and Global Studies, Keele University, UK.

• Editorial: Constructions of (Inter-)National(-ised) Students in the Middle East: Comparative Critical PerspectivesAneta Hayes and Sally FindlowPart I: Theorising "Internationalised" Students: Points of Departure for Macro-Level Analyses1: Which Students are "International" at an International Branch Campus? Problematising "International" when Universities and Students Cross BordersJason Lane and Christine Farrugia2: Internationalisation of Higher Education in the Middle East and North AfricaGiulia Marchesini and Holly Johnstone3: Gulf Cooperation Council Academic Mobility: What Works, for Whom and Why?Clare Walsh4: The Representation of International Students: Student Mobility from the Middle East to TurkeyOmer Caliskan and Hilal Buyukgoze5: International Credit Mobilities of Syrians during Conflict: Opportunities and ChallengesSulaiman MouselliPart II: Representations of Internationally (and Intra-Regionally) Mobile Students in and from the Middle East6: Between Foreigners and Family: Social Media Representations of International Students in Israeli UniversitiesAnnette Bamberger7: Constructing Self through Transnational Nursing Education in the Middle EastWendy Maddison 8: Ready, Willing, and Able? Exploring the Relationships and Experiences of International Students at a Federal University in the United Arab EmiratesNatalie I. Cruz, Jobila W. Sy, Cassandra Shukla, and Alisha Tysor9: Syrian Students’ Academic Mobility Struggle and Alternative OptionsRanwa Khorsheed, Susan Deeb, and Rasha al-Dahhan

"International Student Mobility to and from the Middle East: Theorizing Public, Institutional, and Self-Constructions of Cross-Border investigates internationalization in the region through new lenses. It critically analyses the concepts of mobility, focusing on TNE and program mobility, and of international students, focusing on student agency, both from a theoretical and practical point of view. It also shows the diversity and inequality present in the region." -- Giorgio Marinoni, Manager, HE and Internationalization International Association of Universities, Paris"This book is an excellent much-needed addition to the scholarship of international higher education. It gives a unique insight into the perspectives, experiences, and paradigms surrounding international students mobilizing to and from the Middle East. Researchers, stakeholders, and leaders in higher education will benefit from reading the research-driven thought-provoking and informative chapters."-- Carly Armour, Research Graduate Assistant, Office of the Provost, University of Iowa, USA"International Student Mobility to and from the Middle East: Theorizing Public, Institutional, and Self-Constructions of Cross-Border Students provides critical insights into international student mobility in comprehensive contexts of international, transnational, and interregional education in policy, system, culture, and strategies. The significant debates about internationalization, regionalism, and regionality with higher education from the global perspectives of the authors also offer practical implications for stakeholders, including policymakers, education managers and practitioners, and international students. I would like to congratulate the editors: Aneta Hayes and Sally Findlow for this excellent publication." -- Li Wang, Dr Tech, University of Sydney, Australia"This book proposes unique problems and potential solutions facing international higher education in the Middle East. From the topic of international branch campuses to the complex experiences of international students, this is a must-use resource for instructors working with international students or teaching global higher education courses."-- Molly Harry, Doctoral Candidate, University of Virginia, USA"This is an invaluable book that is relevant and important to the study of international student mobility to and from the Middle East and Arab Gulf. This timely book calls for a better understanding of the cross-border student population and their community."-- Xi Lin, Assistant Professor of Adult Education, East Carolina University, USA"This book provides comprehensive and interdisciplinary discussions on up-to-date issues of students’ mobility in the Middle East and Arab Gulf, which is a unique and strategically important region. I highly recommend this book."-- Benny Lim, Director of the M.A. in Cultural Management programme, Chinese University of Hong Kong, HK"A timely book dedicated to the importance of international students gaining transferable skills and the focus of establishing resources that open doors to the new and interesting employment market. Readers will grasp the need for cross-cultural communication as a crucial qualification for individuals who live and/or study abroad."-- Leslie Ekpe, Graduate Student Senate President, Texas Christian University, USA"If you are seeking to expand your understanding of how internationalization is conceived and student mobility is perceived, then this book is for you! The book presents internationalization discourses and educational policies that either reflect or obscure priorities and realities and highlights unique experiences, assumptions, and constraints of international students in diverse contexts."-- Caroline Wekullo, Research Scientist, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya"This pivotal book postulates how binary views of "international" students can threaten systematic efforts which attempt to improve diversity and equity work across global higher education. Supporting internationalism, as addressed by these authors, leaves the reader with the concept of how we can evaluate our social footprints of multicultural/multilingual education across the world."-- Allison Silveus, Instructional Designer, University of North Texas Health Science Center, USA"In this volume, International Student Mobility to and from the Middle East: Theorizing Public, Institutional, and Self-Constructions of Cross-Border Students, the editors have arranged a thoughtful compilation of chapters that challenges and complicates our understanding of "cross-border" mobility. These new conceptualizations, seated in observations of students "to and from the Middle East" are nevertheless widely relevant to broader notions of globalization and internationalization in universities, particularly as we enter uncharted post-pandemic and virtual spaces of higher education."-- Eric W. Layman, Doctoral Candidate, Indiana University-Bloomington, USA"The book provides real insight into international student mobility, embedded in less-noticed education systems. Students, higher education management, and stakeholders all over the world can enrich their current understanding by engaging dialogues with authors on these context-specific topics."-- Hang Tran, Lecturer and Vice Head of Information Technology and Communication Center, Da Nang University of Economics, Vietnam"This collection of research studies highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in an international higher education context. The selection of topics welcomes new ways of knowing as the authors share personal identities and journeys into their research."-- Juan Manuel Niño, Associate Professor & Co-Coordinator of Urban School Leaders Collaborative, University of Texas at San Antonio, USA"This is an important book, both for what it contributes to our common understanding of globalization and higher education. Its focus on the Middle East, a region too-often overlooked or excluded from important discussions of international education, is welcome, nuanced, and timely."-- Joshua S. McKeown, Associate Provost for International Education and Programs Director, Office of International Education and Programs, State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego), USA"This book presents a comprehensive and compelling look into the regional interpretations of international students across the Middle East and Arab Gulf. During a time when COVID-19 has deeply impacted higher education worldwide, this is a timely and relevant collection."-- Anuli Njoku, Associate Professor, Southern Connecticut State University, USA