Contingent mobility

A structuration analysis of Pakistani PhD students in Chinese universities

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/1q2w8896

Keywords:

Academic mobility, Structuration theory, Contingent mobility, Pakistani PhD students

Abstract

Conventional models predict that Pakistani doctoral students prioritize Western destinations, yet China is their fastest-growing choice. This study examines this contradiction through Giddens' structuration theory and interviews 15 Pakistani PhD students across Chinese universities. The concept of contingent mobility captures trajectories that are neither voluntary nor forced, emerging from structural precarity in Pakistan’s political instability, research deficits, and sociocultural constraints and asymmetric opportunities in China, including scholarships, flexible admissions, and advanced facilities. Students navigate domestic barriers through credentials and peer networks rather than strategic planning. Extending structuration theory, we argue that Giddens' assumption of stable structures requires revision for deteriorating contexts. Contingent mobility has three dimensions: survival and aspiration, pragmatic-to-epistemic motivation, and soft power intersecting with marginalization. Revealing south–south mobility as distinct from south–north flows, this study offers a revised structuration framework for global south academic migration.

Author Biographies

  • Ayesha Jameel, Beijing Normal University

    Ayesha Jameel is a Doctor of Philosophy in Education from Beijing Normal University, China, specializing in the sociology of education. Her doctoral dissertation examined the academic mobility of Pakistani doctoral students through structuration theory. She holds an M.Phil and an MSc in Anthropology from Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad. Her recent SCI paper, "Agency as Phased Negotiation: Pakistani Female PhD Students Navigating Patriarchy through Mobility to China," has been published. She has presented her work at the 8th Higher Education Conference held at the University of Hong Kong. Additionally, her paper on post-mobility plans has been accepted at the Department of Education, Tampere University, Finland. Her research interests focus on higher education, international academic mobility, the internationalization of Chinese higher education, educational inequality and social reproduction, gender and academic mobility, post-mobility career trajectories of international graduates, and qualitative methodologies in educational research.

  • Zhiyong Zhu, Beijing Normal University

    Zhiyong Zhu is Professor of sociology and education policy at College of Educational Administration Faculty of Education Beijing Normal University. He obtained Ph.D. in sociology and education from the University of Hong Kong. Currently, Prof Zhu has been very much interested in educational policy implementation, curriculum reform, school leadership and management, school teacher development, and higher education reform in China. He was awarded the prestigious Fulbright New Century Scholarship (2007-2008) in higher education access and equity study.

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2026-08-02

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Vol. 16 No. 17 (2026): Journal of International Students

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Global Mobility, Policy, and Internationalization

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Jameel, A., & Zhu, Z. (2026). Contingent mobility: A structuration analysis of Pakistani PhD students in Chinese universities. Journal of International Students, 16(17), 229-260. https://doi.org/10.32674/1q2w8896