International Mobility and Educational Desire

"This book invites us to rethink the complexity of international educational mobility. The meticulous and elegantly written ethnographic account supplies a fascinating trip into the unique intercultural experience of foreign talent student immigrants in Singapore. Best of all the bold emphasis on the topics of desires, imaginaries and aspirations represents an original and fine contribution to the field. It should be mandatory reading for all those interested in study abroad and the internationalization of higher education." (Fred Dervin, Professor of Multicultural Education at the University of Helsinki, Finland) "Yang provides a fascinating and richly ethnographic account of the implications of Singapore's Foreign Talent Program. It speaks to larger issues around mobilities, state strategies and educational 'desire.' It is a must-read for anyone interested in the contemporary transformation of education systems beyond the 'West' through internationalization." (Johanna L. Waters, Associate Professor in Human Geography, University of Oxford, UK)

This book examines the Singapore government’s controversial practice of recruiting students from China and granting them full scholarships on the condition of a service “bond”.This book examines the Singapore government’s controversial practice of recruiting students from China and granting them full scholarships on the condition of a service “bond”. It offers detailed ethnographic accounts of the Chinese “foreign talent” students’ educational and cross-cultural experiences in Singapore to illustrate the complex intersections between international mobility and educational desire. In doing so, the book presents contemporary Singapore society’s concerns over immigration and cross-cultural encounters from a unique perspective.