The working lives of migrant professionals : exploring the case of migrant academics
Abstract
This thesis examines the working lives of foreign-born academics who come to work to the
UK. Its main aim is to understand the degree and conditions of migrant scholars’ inclusion
in professional practice abroad. The thesis fulfils this aim by developing a conceptual
approach to encapsulate how migrant professionals’ working lives are conditioned by the
pre-existing professional structures. Grounded in the principle of social closure, this
framework proposes that migrant professionals’ employment abroad is influenced by the
different forms and rules of closure, as well as by the sites in which closure rules are applied.
The synthesis of the theoretical framework with findings from sixty-two interviews with
foreign-born scholars employed in thirteen British universities shows that migrant
academics’ working lives are explained by ‘modes of incorporation’. ‘Modes of
incorporation’ designate the distinct ways in which the academic profession has reacted to
the increased presence of foreign incomers, and comprise integration, exclusion,
subordination and indifference. The proposed framework extends the understanding of the
demographic change in professions, and offers a way to capture migrant professionals’
movement across countries.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Embargo Date: 2022-05-02
Embargo Reason: Thesis restricted in accordance with University regulations. Electronic copy restricted until 2nd May 2022
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