International Scholars: The Invisible Architects of Internationalisation

This paper delves into the narratives of international scholars living in Türkiye to learn first-hand about the academic, social, economic and political connections of academic mobility. Brain drain describes the mobility of people and their knowledge. In the past, economics highlighted the disparity between global economies and the detrimental effects of brain drain, calling it a “wicked problem”. Later approaches, however, present a more positive image by redefining brain drain as brain mobility and an opportunity for local economies to develop into highly desirable destinations, as in the case of Türkiye. With its expanding higher education network, Türkiye stands out as an emerging education hub, especially for scholars and students from the Middle East, Africa and Turkic Republics. The extensive body of relevant literature focuses on student mobility, pull-push variables, quality of stay and repatriation decisions; however, the voices of international scholars and their contribution to internationalisation remain underrepresented. Following a narrative approach, the findings of the present study reveal that international scholars migrate to Türkiye for academic, economic, political, social, individual and environmental reasons, and that these reasons actively affect their contribution to internationalisation practices.