Qualitative and quantitative elucidation of social transformation brought about by global movement in the Islamic world

Abstract

As the world becomes more globalised and the global population continues to grow, travel across borders and continents is on the rise. Global movement is important for many reasons, including for religious events and to study abroad. Associate Professor Hiroko Kinoshita, International Student Center, Kyushu University, Japan, is using qualitative and quantitative methods to shed light on the social transformation brought about by global movement, with a focus on the Islamic world. One element of Kinoshita's work involves investigating the intellectual activity of people studying in a foreign country by looking at the social networks of international students before, during and after studying abroad. Another line of research targets Egyptian students in Japan and looks at being Muslim in non-Muslim country. Through interviews and conversations with students, Kinoshita is exploring difficulties they face in Japan and has discovered the importance of social networks. Additionally, Kinoshita set out to understand the intentions and needs of students in Saudi Arabia going abroad to study in Japan through a poll survey and discovered that despite a keen interest in studying abroad, respondents required only basic information.