The Widening Global Network of Indonesian Diaspora Scholars in Malaysia

Abstract

The paper discusses the global network for Indonesian diaspora scholars who work in Malaysian tertiary education, an emerging Asian education hub. The study is based on documents, text reviews, interviews, and reflections from Indonesian diaspora scholars. Our analysis identified three main themes: building academic success, brain circulation, and contributing to development in the country of origin. The analysis indicates that the interplay between the quality of human diaspora capital and Malaysian policies on higher education has shaped the academic success stories of Indonesian diaspora scholars in Malaysia. Although the Indonesian diaspora scholars in Malaysia have generated brain drain debates, the findings show that while Indonesian scholars continue to work in Malaysia, they also exercise their global networks as sources of human capital and knowledge to assist their home country.