ABSTRACT
Within the literature on international student mobility/migration (ISM), the meaning of its base category ‘international student’ has received relatively little attention. Despite accepting the general theoretical argument about ISM and the social reproduction of elites, where international students are seen as a cosmopolitan and/or an elite group, we are wary about considering such students as a homogeneous class. Reality shows that the category ‘international student’ can be hard to define, especially when considering the various countries of origin and destination. This becomes evident in the case of Angolan and Cape Verdean students in Portugal. From semi-structured interviews with 49 participants – students in their final year of the courses and graduates – results show that there is confusion and conflict between the categories of ‘international student’ and ‘immigrant’. Findings highlight that the way these students are seen by mainstream Portuguese society is fundamentally shaped by their geographical and social origins in the ex-colonial African periphery of the former Portuguese empire. A colonialist social order seems also to have been internalised by these students, conditioning their self-image. Despite this, socio-economic background, individual personality and different cultural experiences in the host country combine to put the main focus on the student condition, rather on that of the immigrant.
