"This book illustrates the geography of international education through a thorough case study of middle-class Hong Kong families in terms of cultural capital accumulation. In the broad context of transnationalism and transnationlization, the book provides a peculiar perspective concerning the global flow of capital--the economical on the part of host countries and the cultural for international students. Migration and diaspora, therefore, represent the different forms of disposal of current capital in pursuit of overseas credentials in the case of Hong Kong middle-class families, which demonstrates the concepts of education in typical Chinese families. Thought-provoking and inspiring, this book makes an important contribution to the literature of international education and contains a wealth of ideas for professionals interested to go on probing. The clear development, novel perspective and convincing argument are worthy of a good read. Recommended to all those working in education and its related fields." - International Education

Johanna L. Waters is a lecturer in human geography at the University of Liverpool. Dr. Waters holds a BA in Geography from the University of Oxford and an MA and PhD from the University of British Columbia. She is the author of numerous articles on different aspects of transnational student mobility and the internationalisation of education, published in journals such as Global Networks, Antipode, Environment and Planning A, and Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, as well as several book chapters and many other scholarly contributions.

List of Tables

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Education, Transnational Migration, and Social Class in East Asia

Chapter 1: Globalisation, Neoliberalism, and the Transformation of Education

Examinations and Credentials

The Geography of Education and Neoliberalism

Internationalisation and the Business of Education

Institutional Initiatives and New Strategic Geographies of Education

Entrenching Standardisation in Education

Some Concerns About the Consequences of Internationalisation

Chapter 2: Internationalisation, Transnationalism and Education in Canada

Neoliberalism and Education in Canada

Government and IE

Federal Initiatives on IE

Provincial Initiatives on IE

Municipal Initiatives: Vancouver School Board

Institutional Initiatives: The University of British Columbia

Chapter 3: Education and Middle-Class Strategies in Contemporary Hong Kong

Pessimism and Uncertainty

Educational Expansion and Credential Inflation

Additional Precipitating Factors in Migration

Middle-Class Sanctuaries: International Schools

The Importance of Habitus in Directing Migration

Experiences of Education in Hong Kong

Chapter 4: Transnational Families and Education in Canada

Global Geographies of Educational Distinction

Local Geographies of Cultural Capital

The Magical Properties of the University Degree

Spatial Strategies and Educational ‘Choice’

The Creation of a ‘Transnational Class’

Chapter 5: Return to Hong Kong: Transnational Geographies of Cultural Capital

The Superiority of the Overseas Education: How ‘Failure’ is Turned to Gold

Chapter 6: Employability into the Future: Capital and the Ongoing Pursuit of Positional Advantage

Employability and Positional Advantage

Corporate Sociability

Putting in ‘Face Time’

Pursuing ‘Rarer Goods’: Specialisation and the MBA

Conclusion: Transnational Education: Geographies of Cultural Capital

Appendix

Bibliography

Index