Commonwealth Students, UK Higher Education and the Making of Global Knowledge Networks, 1950-2000

这个项目旨在从历史的角度来看待20世纪50年代到90年代来英国学习科学的英联邦学生的经历和职业。虽然关于当前和近期国际学生经历的社会学文献越来越多，但研究的焦点往往很狭隘，很少有证据表明海外留学决定如何影响职业生涯或对全球背景下科学知识构建和流通的影响。历史记载往往集中在一个不具代表性的群体，主要是白人男性，他们在英国科学界崭露头角。对经济影响的评估往往集中在通过加强其研究基础或在关键出口市场发展全球联系为英国带来的潜在利益上，而没有考虑原产国如何受到影响，也没有考虑到后来向其他国家的转移。该项目是及时和相关的，因为它有助于研究和奖学金的三个广泛领域：首先，该项目揭示了英联邦（/国际学生）流动的经验。从战后50年代的“教牧关怀”叙事，到冷战时期的“监视”叙事，再到90年代大学市场化时期的“顾客”叙事，这些都引起了人们对国际学生政策和叙事随时间的变化的关注。其次，该项目侧重于全球科学史。它讨论了材料和个人的流通和交换，作为全球科学知识产生的关键主题。该项目旨在关注以个人和家庭为中心的全球微观历史，以揭示大的历史现象。它使用口述历史方法作为一种解释工具来理解后殖民背景下的科学实践。第三，通过30次口述历史访谈，该项目旨在深入了解科学意识是如何形成的，以及更广泛的认知网络和科学遗产是如何建立的。口述历史方法论提供了新的解释视角，这些视角并不总是通过阅读殖民和英联邦历史或全球科学史学来实现的。方法框架：该项目的主要方法是生活故事访谈，它将捕捉书面资料中大部分缺失的主观经验。这些访谈将辅以存档访谈、档案研究、整理和分析现有的定量数据。这允许在案例研究的来源和情境化之间进行三角测量。该项目以跨学科的文献综述开始，包括口述历史方法论、全球科学史、科学事业和最近关于学生流动的社会学文献。这篇综述能够识别文献中的关键空白，选择潜在的案例研究，并建立可能有助于当代辩论的历史观点。它也为伦理应用提供了方法论基础。这一阶段还包括口述历史采访的实践训练。对历史统计数据的鉴定、整理和分析，以及对现有口述历史材料、回忆录和传记叙述的调查，使我们能够确定选择受访者的参数。受访者的样本是结构化的，以捕捉范围和多样性的经验，这是通过在线搜索确定的。统计数据显示，印度学生构成了来英国学习科学的最大的英联邦学生群体之一。因此，印度被选为海外案例研究地点。此外，作为一名印度人，我的当地文化知识和语言技能将使我能够驾驭文化规范并进行面对面的采访。

This project aims to generate historical perspectives on the experiences and careers of Commonwealth students who came to the UK to study science from the 1950s to the 1990s. While there is growing sociological literature on the experiences of current and recent international students, studies often have a narrow focus and little evidence on how decisions to study overseas affected careers or the implications for scientific knowledge construction and circulation in a global context. Historical accounts tend to focus on an unrepresentative group of mainly white men who rose to prominence in the British scientific establishment. Assessments of the economic impacts frequently concentrate on potential benefits for the UK by strengthening its research base or developing global connections in key export markets, failing to consider how nations of origin are affected or to recognise later moves to other countries.The project is timely and relevant as it contributes to three broad areas of research and scholarship: Firstly, the project sheds light on the experiences of Commonwealth (/international Student) mobility. It draws attention to the changes in policies and narratives on international students over time - from the narrative of pastoral care in the 1950s after the post-war period, the narratives of surveillance during the cold war and the narratives of being a 'customer' in the period of marketization of universities in the 1990s. Secondly, the project focuses on the global history of science. It discusses the circulation and exchange of materials and individuals as key themes to the generation of global scientific knowledge. The project aims to focus on global micro-histories centred on individuals and families to shed light on big historical phenomena. It uses oral history methodology as an interpretive tool to understand the practices of science in the postcolonial context.Thirdly, through 30 oral history interviews, the project aims to offer insight into how scientific consciousness was shaped and wider epistemic networks and scientific legacies were established. Oral history methodology offers new interpretive perspectives that are not always attainable through the readings of colonial and Commonwealth histories or historiographies of global science. Methodological framework:The primary methodology of the project is life story interviews which will capture the subjective experiences largely missing from written sources. These interviews will be supplemented with archived interviews, archival research and collation and analysis of existing quantitative data. This allows triangulation between sources and contextualisation of the case study. The project commenced with an interdisciplinary literature review encompassing oral history methodology, global histories of science, scientific careers, and recent sociological literature on student mobility. This review enabled identifying the key gaps in the literature, selecting potential case studies and establishing historical perspectives that might contribute to contemporary debates. It has also generated the methodological underpinning for the ethics application. This phase also includes practical training in oral history interviewing.The identification, collation and analysis of historical statistical data and survey of existing oral history material, memoirs and biographical accounts have enabled to establish the parameters for the selection of interviewees. The sample of interviewees is structured to capture a range and diversity of experience which is identified using online searchers. Statistical data reveals that Indian students constituted one of the largest groups of Commonwealth students that came to study science in the UK. Therefore, India is selected as an overseas case study site. Further, as an Indian National, my local, cultural knowledge and linguistic skills will allow navigating cultural norms and conduct in-person interviews.