Navigating the semi-periphery as a Ugandan doctoral student on a reflexive learning journey in Chinese higher education

International student mobility (ISM) research has predominantly focused on trajectories from the Global South to the Global North, often framing the host country as an unassailable ‘core’ of knowledge production. This study addresses a critical gap by examining the reversed and under-explored mobility from one Global South context (Uganda) to another positioned as an academic semi-periphery (China). Through a critical reflexive narrative, this paper details my experiences as a Ugandan doctoral student in comparative education at a Chinese university. Employing the theoretical lenses of in-between space and China’s semi-periphery positionality in global higher education, the analysis uncovers the complex negotiation of identity, epistemic belonging, and power dynamics that characterize this journey. Findings reveal a tripartite negotiation between my Ugandan academic heritage, the Chinese institutional context with its own aspirations and insecurities, and the pervasive symbolic authority of the Western core. The research concludes that there is a particular form of agency involved in doctoral studies in a semi-peripheral host country, which is not one of assimilation but rather one of navigating complex hierarchies and developing a particular scholarly identity. This study adds to the decolonizing agenda in ISM research by drawing attention to the specificities of a particular South-South doctoral experience, presenting a phenomenologically informed account that shows some of the challenges of working in a semi-peripheral host country. This is not generalisable, but it highlights aspects worth further comparative study.