Migration research cannot be done in a simplistic way and there is no fully integrated theory on the process of international migration. Research on migration flows is often based a combination of existing theories and models. Ravenstein was a pioneer in the academic community, providing inquiry in the phenomena of migration with methods from the social sciences. By using the census data, this German geographer observed the migration in 19th Century Britain and developed so called ‘laws of migration’ in 1885. His attempt to understand the patterns and rationale of migration has led to
fierce debates in the academic community and many approaches on analysing migration were developed since then. In terms of academic disciplines, they vary from the different aspect of the migration phenomena, some concentrates on the economic gains/loss of migration, some argues on the legality of migration movement, while others looks at the historical legacy for migration or the political and sociological dimension of migrations.
Migration can also be analysed on the basis of geographical (space of flows), or procedural approaches (migration strategy). However, the use of interdisciplinary approach has gained increasing weight in the academia (Demuth 2000), hence it is applied in this research. It looks at migration in a circular model, in a form of dynamic process and transnational linkage. The analytical model of circular migration is presented in Figure 6. This is a three phase model of circular migration which includes outbound migration and return migration between Shanghai / China and Paris / France and in some cases linked with other cities during the migration trajectory of the interviewees.
The first phase/step is the analysis on the individual decision for studying in Paris and France, the start of the migration journey. This research examines at the background of students and how these preconditions influenced the students’ decision to migrate at in the first place and their expectation for toward migration. This also gives us an indication on the potential outcome of the migration as well as the intercity relations through student migration.
One of the most commonly used concepts in migration research, the push and pull factors analysis is employed for explaining the reasons for studying abroad. This is a frequent analysis method for migration research applied to student migration. A combination of push full factors is said to indicate the size and direction of international migration flows (Portes and Böröcz 1989). In a simple form, push factors often refer to a set of negative factors in migrants’ country of origin, such as harsh economic, social and political condition which drives migrants out of the home countries for better living and working environment abroad. On the contrast, the pull factors are the advantages which a receiving country of migrants has (mostly in terms
of more favourable opportunities for studying, working and living) than the country of origin. This research has taken the following factors into account:
scholarships, courses and programmes, languages of study, job opportunities, family reunifications, social status ( PULL)
unemployment or employment ceiling, lack of study opportunities, lack of qualifications, job market competition ( PUSH)
Figure 6: Chinese Student Circular Migration
(Source: Author’s Field research work)
Following this logic, it traced Chinese students’ arrivals in Paris and analysed the activities in Paris – within the academic, social and professional spheres and investigates their capital accumulation strategy by applying Bourdieu’s theory on various forms of capitals, which is the second phase of student migration. It also analysed the transnational linkage that student migrants retain with China and France through examining their employment pattern in Paris. In the case of return migration, this research applies the tools of economic and non-economic factors to comprehend the complex decision making process on whether to return or stay in Paris, while
Shanghai, China Paris, France Study Personal & Business Trips Return Other Cities
relating the findings to relating the different academic schools of thoughts on return migration theories.
The final phrase is the most important part of this research - it is different for those who have returned to Shanghai and those who are still in France. For those returnees in Shanghai, it focuses on the pull reasons of Shanghai as a destination for returnees - why did they choose Shanghai? It then examined the employment patterns of returnees and assesses their links with the international business networks to understand returnees’ contribution to Shanghai’s economy and integration to the global business and city network. It reflects the re-integration of returnees in the Chinese society. The analytical framework for those who remained in Paris focuses on their activities in Paris and their future plans, assessing their ‘footlessness’ and their indirect links with China and Shanghai. The objective is to find out whether by remaining in Paris, they are located in the business/city network between Paris and Shanghai, France and China. This three phase circular migratory movement is strengthened by frequent business travels and leisure trips, as well as linked to other metropolitan centres during the academic and professional activities of the interviewees (such as exchange semester of the MBA programme and overseas internship / job assignment)
As shown above, this research has a combination of methods to analyse the circular movement of talents between Shanghai/China and Paris/France, due to the nature of contemporary international migration. One method alone, for instance, the Push and Pull factors would not be sufficient to address the complexity of student migration, as it simplifies the emergence of migration flows and stability of migration patterns. While the simplistic analysis by Push and Pull factors is still relevant to the stylised flow of migration from Global South (developing countries) to Global North (industrialised countries) or from the periphery of the global economy to the centre, which still exist. International migration nowadays presents a more multi-facet process, where international trans-migrants do not just make a single dot-to-dot migration trip, but instead more recurrent migration journeys, and at the same time build political, economic and socio-economic ties between the countries they reside. Hence it is getting harder and harder to differentiate and draw the lines between the sending and receiving countries.
Thus, in this research of student migration, the method of analysis is conceptualised on a circular mobility of Chinese students and talents. This relational approach incorporates the traditional Push and Pull factors and expands it with analysis of migrants’ network and various forms of capital, which are accumulated and developed during the migration process. The migration structure is conceptualised as ‘last forms of relations’ and a ‘web of ties’ (Faist 2000:15). This approach explores on the social and other capitals, symbolic ties and kinships among others, processed by the international migrants, to ‘delineate the mechanism of transfer and convertibility of migrants’ capital across nation-state borders’ and produce a ‘tight and rich coupling between mobility and immobility, between migration and post-migration processes’ (Faist 2000:14).