A ‘community turn’ to engaging international students: The ‘bright’ and ‘dark’ social capital

In recent years, higher education and migration policies in traditional Western study destinations have created an uncertainty for the future of international student mobility, provoking hostile populism in local communities toward international students. At this crucial time, our study delved into the nature and dynamics of ‘community engagement’ – the social connections and structural relations between international students and local members of the host society. To understand community engagement, we drew on social capital theories of Putnam, Coleman, and Bourdieu and analysed interview data collected from nine South Australian community members who, through their work, supported international students. Our study took a ‘community turn’ – an approach marked by grassroots, organic initiatives and efforts of local members to engage international students. While we found trust, reciprocity, and exchange value associated with community engagement, we also uncovered evidence of social grouping and differentiation within local communities. Our study enriches the underdeveloped community engagement research, both theoretically and empirically. We conclude the paper with a call for the social licensing of community engagement that allows international students and local members to thrive together.