Fractal Reproduction: A Social Network Analysis of Regional International Student Mobility

Utilizing social network analysis, UNESCO international student mobility (ISM) data, and World Bank income classifications, this paper examines patterns of social reproduction in ISM within four established regional education networks from 2008-2012. Findings indicate that the global trend of uneven flows from developing to developed nations is replicated fractally within the Southern African Development Community, the European Higher Education Area, the Union of South American Nations, and University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific. Developed and/or higher income countries play a preeminent role in the regional networks as senders and receivers; whereas, developing (lower income) countries function primarily as source nations. This suggests that elite cultural capital is being centralized through ISM not only globally, but regionally as well.