Forced internationalisation and the city-university nexus: Syrian refugee students navigating belonging

Abstract

This article examines how Syrian refugee students navigate belonging across higher education institutions and border cities in Türkiye. Drawing on interviews with students, university and policy actors across five border cities, it conceptualises belonging as a negotiated, relational and multi-scalar process. Building on forced internationalisation and permanent temporariness, it shows that belonging is institutionally insecure in HEIs, leading to ambivalence, partial inclusion and a turn to urban spaces. Cities then emerge as sites where belonging becomes relational, or constrained, through cultural proximity and everyday practices. It demonstrates how belonging is (re)shaped in the city-university nexus where permanent temporariness brings about a dynamic process of navigation. Findings call for reconceptualising forced internationalisation beyond access metrics, highlighting the need for integrated and context-sensitive approaches across higher education and urban governance.