Socio-geographical Challenges of Migrants: Bangladeshi Students’ Lived Spaces in Hungary

This study aims to uncover the challenges faced by Bangladeshi student migrants in their everyday lives in Hungary. The research assessed students’ (a) economic, (b) cultural, and (c) gender-related experiences through a questionnaire survey. The Ministry of Education in Bangladesh nominated 420 Bangladeshi students for the Stipendium Hungaricum (SH) scholarship in Hungary between 2019 and 2022. These students participated in an online questionnaire survey conducted via social media. The survey questions were inspired by political-economic approaches (World Systems Theory), as well as post-colonial and feminist perspectives, to investigate the underlying causes of the challenges faced by students. The study argues that these challenges can be better understood by contextualizing students’ everyday lives across different geographical spaces and places. Participants were asked about their experiences in spaces shaped primarily by the state (e.g., universities, immigration offices, healthcare centres), businesses (e.g., firms, restaurants), and citizens (e.g., public places). The findings reveal that students encounter economic and cultural difficulties. However, they perceive gender relations in Hungary to be better than in their home country.