Toward Cosmopolitan or National Identity: Social Networks and Mobility Capital among International Students

This study examines how international students form cosmopolitan or national identities through social networks and mobility capital. Based on interviews with 30 Polish and 30 Chinese students in London, findings show that those with early‑acquired mobility capital build international networks and weaker national attachments, while those with limited capital favor co‑national networks and stronger national identity. Structural forces such as diaspora size also shape outcomes. The study challenges essentialist cultural explanations and argues for understanding international students as heterogeneous sub‑groups whose identity trajectories depend on both individual capital endowments and broader geopolitical contexts.