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Time and Precarity in ‘South−South’ Academic Mobility: A 2019−2023 Longitudinal Study of Pakistani PhD Students and Recent Graduates in China

Mengwei Tu Orcid Logo

Population, Space and Place, Volume: 32, Issue: 2

Swansea University Author: Mengwei Tu Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1002/psp.70227

Abstract

China's rise as an education hub introduces a new dynamic to the current framework for understanding international academic mobility. This paper presents longitudinal case studies of Pakistani PhD students and recent graduates in China, comparing their imagined mobility in 2019 with their actua...

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Published in: Population, Space and Place
ISSN: 1544-8444 1544-8452
Published: Wiley 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71401
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last_indexed 2026-03-18T05:40:19Z
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spelling 2026-03-17T12:42:49.3360286 v2 71401 2026-02-11 Time and Precarity in ‘South−South’ Academic Mobility: A 2019−2023 Longitudinal Study of Pakistani PhD Students and Recent Graduates in China 4a4416d98aa1645210377eac954a7ede 0000-0002-6855-1381 Mengwei Tu Mengwei Tu true false 2026-02-11 SOSS China's rise as an education hub introduces a new dynamic to the current framework for understanding international academic mobility. This paper presents longitudinal case studies of Pakistani PhD students and recent graduates in China, comparing their imagined mobility in 2019 with their actual trajectories by 2023. Using a time-sensitive approach, this study unpacks the individual-institutional temporal entanglement against the macro-level socioeconomic changes in China and Pakistan between 2019 and 2023. Shifting from study to work, Pakistani PhD graduates face age-based discrimination, temporary contracts and lack of permanent residency prospect in China. Meanwhile, deteriorating conditions in Pakistan's academic sector, over time, further constrained options. Despite aspirations to reach the ‘Global North’, participants experienced reversed migration decision driven by precarity rather than advancement. This study highlights the limitations within ‘South−South’ academic mobility and the difficulty for highly educated migrants to align their mobility strategies with an increasingly uncertain global socioeconomic environment. Journal Article Population, Space and Place 32 2 Wiley 1544-8444 1544-8452 academic mobility; Belt and Road Initiative; China; Pakistan; PhD employment; ‘South−South’ migration 1 3 2026 2026-03-01 10.1002/psp.70227 COLLEGE NANME Social Sciences School COLLEGE CODE SOSS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) National Social Science Fund of China (GrantNumber(s): 18CSH011) 2026-03-17T12:42:49.3360286 2026-02-11T16:06:09.4710945 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy Mengwei Tu 0000-0002-6855-1381 1 71401__36259__60a0e08b2e2a45379ed638cb1b24cf14.pdf Tu2026.pdf 2026-02-18T11:58:26.6453252 Output 340622 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Time and Precarity in ‘South−South’ Academic Mobility: A 2019−2023 Longitudinal Study of Pakistani PhD Students and Recent Graduates in China
spellingShingle Time and Precarity in ‘South−South’ Academic Mobility: A 2019−2023 Longitudinal Study of Pakistani PhD Students and Recent Graduates in China
Mengwei Tu
title_short Time and Precarity in ‘South−South’ Academic Mobility: A 2019−2023 Longitudinal Study of Pakistani PhD Students and Recent Graduates in China
title_full Time and Precarity in ‘South−South’ Academic Mobility: A 2019−2023 Longitudinal Study of Pakistani PhD Students and Recent Graduates in China
title_fullStr Time and Precarity in ‘South−South’ Academic Mobility: A 2019−2023 Longitudinal Study of Pakistani PhD Students and Recent Graduates in China
title_full_unstemmed Time and Precarity in ‘South−South’ Academic Mobility: A 2019−2023 Longitudinal Study of Pakistani PhD Students and Recent Graduates in China
title_sort Time and Precarity in ‘South−South’ Academic Mobility: A 2019−2023 Longitudinal Study of Pakistani PhD Students and Recent Graduates in China
author_id_str_mv 4a4416d98aa1645210377eac954a7ede
author_id_fullname_str_mv 4a4416d98aa1645210377eac954a7ede_***_Mengwei Tu
author Mengwei Tu
author2 Mengwei Tu
format Journal article
container_title Population, Space and Place
container_volume 32
container_issue 2
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 1544-8444
1544-8452
doi_str_mv 10.1002/psp.70227
publisher Wiley
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy
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description China's rise as an education hub introduces a new dynamic to the current framework for understanding international academic mobility. This paper presents longitudinal case studies of Pakistani PhD students and recent graduates in China, comparing their imagined mobility in 2019 with their actual trajectories by 2023. Using a time-sensitive approach, this study unpacks the individual-institutional temporal entanglement against the macro-level socioeconomic changes in China and Pakistan between 2019 and 2023. Shifting from study to work, Pakistani PhD graduates face age-based discrimination, temporary contracts and lack of permanent residency prospect in China. Meanwhile, deteriorating conditions in Pakistan's academic sector, over time, further constrained options. Despite aspirations to reach the ‘Global North’, participants experienced reversed migration decision driven by precarity rather than advancement. This study highlights the limitations within ‘South−South’ academic mobility and the difficulty for highly educated migrants to align their mobility strategies with an increasingly uncertain global socioeconomic environment.
published_date 2026-03-01T05:34:11Z
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