Portuguese policies fostering international student mobility: a colonial legacy or a new strategy?

Abstract

This paper explores policies on international student mobility to Portugal from within the Lusophone space, analyzing the cases of Angola, Cape Verde and Brazil. We argue that Portuguese strategies to attract international students respond to different demands and interests embedded in its geopolitical memberships. One the one hand, they respond to pressure from the European Commission to increase the internationalisation level within the European Higher Education Area. On the other hand, they are embedded within Portugal’s desire to continue its influence over the former colonies. We analyze available statistical data and policy documents on Angolan, Cape Verdean and Brazilian students in Portugal, using insights from postcolonial theoretical frameworks. Our results suggest that Portuguese policies on international student mobility, even if discontinuous over time, still aim at maintaining a leading role among the Portuguese-speaking countries, through practices rooted in neocolonial logics. However, Portugal’s membership of the European Union propels the need to adapt to wider political forces through contextual and opportunistic strategies as well.