Migration Decision-Making, Mobility Capital and Reflexive Learning

An immobility turn? The Covid-19 pandemic, mobility capital and international students in Portugal

“…Putting this into conceptual terms, international students may be experiencing a loss or devaluation of their mobility capital, a term that has been employed by numerous authors as a means of quantifying the various forms of personal and professional development that are acquired via studying abroad, including enhanced intercultural competencies and the heightening of international employability (Cairns 2021). Through engaging in episodic or open-ended forms of mobility, students are thought to become more adept at living and working alongside people from different social and cultural backgrounds, and possibly more able to appreciate the norms and values of other societies and their labour markets.…”

The intergenerational transmission of migration capital: The role of family migration history and lived migration experiences

“…Indeed, the simple knowledge that one migrated in the past makes future migration less frightening (Aslany et al 2021). In addition, parents who migrated may also transmit their acquired knowledge about potential destinations and guidance on how to initiate and conduct an international move or how to live in a foreign country, including practical skills and networks needed to handle the logistical and administrative hurdles of changing country of residence (Cairns 2021). Besides, children with foreignborn parents are often exposed to influences from their parents' native culture.…”

“…Some iterations of the concept emphasise the intergenerational transmission of attitudes toward migration that reduce psychological barriers to migration (Ivlevs and King 2012:119). Others focus on individuals' personal lived migration experiences, particularly the first international migration in adulthood (Cairns 2021). They often separate personal migration capital, or lived experiences, from family migration capital (De Jong 2000), with empirical applications typically focusing on one or the other process.…”