Internationalisation and intersectionality in Hong Kong university student life: an exploratory study of social exclusion

ABSTRACT

Higher education internationalisation (HEI) emphasises the benefits of international research partnerships, knowledge production through education hub development, and global marketisation/exportation of education. The connections between internationalisation and student life are less documented in East Asian universities, particularly regarding social exclusion issues. This study takes an intersectional approach to explore and analyse students’ social exclusion experiences at one international Hong Kong university using an anonymous online survey (n = 100). Thematic analysis revealed social exclusion in multiple student life areas across three major axes: Area of origin, particularly Mainland Chinese students; Sexuality, specifically lesbian, gay and bisexual-identified students, and the intersectionality of nationality, language and ethnicity. The study findings are situated within the sociocultural and political context of Hong Kong HEI since the mid-1990s. Internationalisation presents opportunities for Hong Kong universities to make needed commitments to addressing social exclusion issues, as they continue to affect campus ecologies and the increasingly diverse student population.

KEYWORDS:

• Social exclusion
• internationalisation
• Hong Kong
• university
• student life
• intersectionality

Acknowledgments

Though the research was not funded, we thank the Stanley Ho Alumni Challenge, presented by the 1984 Inclusion Fund, for their support of the project as a whole. We thank Lena Kilian, Siya Kulkarni and Rivneet Mann for survey design feedback and assistance with data analysis. We are grateful to the Women’s Studies Research Centre at the University of Hong Kong for providing several forums to present the research results and receive critical feedback from the senior management team, faculty, staff and students. We also thank the reviewers whose feedback helped to improve the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrew Pau Hoang

Andrew Pau Hoang is a PhD candidate in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at The University of Hong Kong.

Lucy P. Jordan

Lucy P. Jordan is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at The University of Hong Kong, and Senior Research Associate, Centre for Social Development in Africa, Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg.