| Within the context of international academic exchange, knowledge, resources, and people have moved across nations for centuries. Despite this long historical precedent, however, the present movement differs from the past in that it flows in a largely South to North direction. Today international students tend to migrate from the less industrialized to the major industrialized nations. Past research has reflected this phenomenon.; Research on international student exchange has been conducted almost entirely from the perspective of the Third World student in the First World. As a result, research on the flow of international students among Third World nations is lacking. This thesis aims to begin to fill this gap and contribute to a larger understanding of international academic relations.; This thesis investigates the transfer of knowledge on a South-South dimension. Specifically, it considers China's educational exchange programs for Africa, with a special concern for issues of sustainable and equitable development. A detailed description of the African student experience in China is provided through quantified data, obtained from a student questionnaire. Qualitative data, gathered through individual and group interviews with both African and Chinese parties, adds interpretive depth to the description.; This data is considered in the fight of two bodies of literature related to views of international academic relations. A review of the literature on China's changing world view, with a focus on China's Third World Policy under the reign of Mao Zedong, provides the historical context for this study. The literature on the changing approaches to international academic relations, with a focus on the theories of the World Order Models Project, provides the theoretical context. These two transformative approaches to international relations form an evaluative framework in which Sino-African relations are examined within a global milieu. This study reveals that while Sino-African exchanges currently play a supportive role in the international arena, potential signs and strategies to promote greater equality are beginning to emerge from this South-South collaboration. |
