International students are the fastest-growing group of international migrants. A highly educated workforce with international experience in education is an important element of socio-economic progress. The dynamic transnational experiences of international students can influence the expansion of their social, cultural, and professional identity, but also the formation of a cosmopolitan or fluid identity.
Examining the influence of the migration experience and the new social environment on the identity transformation of international students is IS-MIGaIN project research topic.
The goal of the project is to deepen the scientific understanding of the connection between identity and the international migration experience of students in the context of countries with relatively high emigration, such as Serbia.
Internationalization trends in higher education in Europe indicate that it is becoming an advanced industry for many countries. In this sense, in the Serbian context it is necessary to develop policies that will encourage the processes of social cohesion in educational institutions and the wider community. However, relatively little is known about how international students question themselves in relation to new cultural and social groups, about the social integration of international students into educational institutions or the wider community, about the spatial contextualization of identity, etc. The results of the empirical research of the IS-MIGaIN project will be the basis for a constructive dialogue and interaction between actors from different fields and different levels of administration (higher education and science, public policies, non-governmental sector). Through dialogue and recommendations for public policies, the IS-MIGaIN project will contribute to improvement of public interaction in the Serbian context and the formulation of public policy measures that will promote social cohesion and affect development, both at the micro, as well as at the macro level.
The leading Scientific and Research Organization of the IS-MIGaIN project – The Institute of Social Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia
The Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) was founded in 1957. The ISS consists of six research centers and employs 68 researchers, two thirds of whom have the highest scientific titles. The ISS develops interdisciplinarity in research and, in addition to the development of methodology and theory in the social sciences, it pays full attention to empirical research and the application of results in in society and public policies. Since 2022 The Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the decision that awarded the ISS the status of an institute of national significance for the Republic of Serbia. This is the first institute in the field of social sciences and humanities to receive such status within our scientific community.
Team members
Members of the IS-MIGaIN project team study various aspects of international migration, both in the international and Serbian context. They conducted numerous comparative, theoretical and empirical researches, among which were also those aimed at the study of the phenomenon of temporary migration. However, the lack of literature and empirical research that study the international migration of students in the context of Serbia and the (re)construction of identity were the starting point for the conception of this project - IS-MIGaIN.
The IS-MIGaIN project team members are experienced researchers. The Principal investigators is dr Vesna Lukić, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences. Other project participants from the Institute of Social Sciences are: Jelena Despić, Research associate at the Demographic Research Centre and Nena Vasojević, Research associate at the Centre for Sociological and Anthropological Research. Researchers from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad – Department of Sociology also participate in the project: Snežana Stojšin, Associate professor and Vladan Vidicki, Teaching assistant, as well as Assistant professor Milica Vesković Anđelković from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade – Department of Sociology, and Jasna Petrić, Principal Research Fellow of the Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia. The interdisciplinarity of the IS-MIGaIN team is reflected in the complementarity and synergy of the knowledge and skills of the members of the project team.
Contact
Institute of Social Sciences
Institute of national significance for the Republic of Serbia
Kraljice Natalije 45 (Narodnog Fronta 45)
11000 Belgrade
Republic of Serbia
Phone: +381 (0) 11 3616 002, +381 (0) 11 3616 102
Website: https://idn.org.rs/
Funding
This research has been supported by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, Grant No 1434, within the Identities program.
http://fondzanauku.gov.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Program-Identities-Konacna-rang-list.pdf
IS-MIGaIN Principal Investigator
The principal investigator of the project is Dr. Vesna Lukić, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences, Demographic Research Center.
https://idn.org.rs/sr_lat/vesna-lukic-3/
Contact email: