International academic mobility in the Global South: A systematic literature review (SLR) of Latin American countries

Abstract

This study aimed to present an overview of international academic mobility studies in Latin America. To achieve this objective, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted with 116 articles selected from the Web of Science database published between 1997 and 2023. The analysis was performed using Iramuteq software, which identified four categories: (1) government investments; (2) methodological trends; (3) dominance of countries in the Global North; and (4) virtual academic mobility. The main findings identified that, among government investments in academic mobility scholarships, the Brazilian Science Without Borders program stood out. A strong trend toward qualitative studies was also identified in the analyzed corpus. Given the dominance of countries in the Global North in terms of academic mobility, the studies suggest initiatives among Latin American countries, as they have great potential for regional cooperation. It is also noteworthy that virtual academic mobility is one of the forms of internationalization that will be most promoted in the coming decades. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some Brazilian HEIs contributed to strengthening South-South cooperation by promoting and participating in virtual academic mobility programs with other Latin American universities. Furthermore, the research points out that academic mobility provides both individual advantages for academics and significant long-term advantages for universities.