Understanding gendered transnational education mobility: Interview with Fran Martin

In this interview, Fran Martin discusses gendered transnational education mobility in relation to research methodology, the contradictions of neoliberal ideology, and the social implications of ethnographic research. Challenging stereotypical and often biased portrayals of Chinese international students in the Anglosphere, Martin argues for the importance of attending to the irreducible details of individual life experiences and explains how to employ affective methods to convey these details to readers. Calling for attention to gender as a key perspective in understanding education mobility, she discusses how the global neoliberal discourse underpinning this form of mobility can be restricting and empowering at the same time. She also reflects on the ways in which researchers could engage with social and policy realities and contribute to improving international students’ well-being.