ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the masculinities of Indian international students who are living and studying in Australian universities. International student mobility is often framed as a process through which privileged students acquire social, economic and cultural capital. Alternatively, international student mobility is cast as a process characterised by hardships such as social isolation and economic insecurity. When viewed through these contradictory analytics, Indian young men who study abroad may either ‘succeed’ or ‘fail’ to find avenues to affirm their manhood. This chapter moves beyond this binary by drawing on in-depth interviews to show the ways Indian young men develop affective ties and share resources with other Indian men while studying in Australia. The analysis also provides insights into the ways they assist other international students whom they considered to be more vulnerable and less experienced than themselves. The chapter argues that young men develop caring masculinities marked by a sense of interdependency and care, yet how they make sense of supporting others often draws heavily on masculine notions of providing for others. In making this argument, this chapter provides insight into how elements of caring masculinities and hegemonic masculinity coexist in a context of transnational mobility.