ABSTRACT

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among Eastern European students enrolled in master’s programmes in Denmark, this article sheds light on the dominant geographical imaginaries, which have informed their decision to pursue an education abroad. Difficulties in aligning their life with a desired life trajectory in their home countries make the students long for a new beginning in a foreign land. They imagine Scandinavia as a place of abundant opportunities – a normal place, which will allow them to unite their inner desires with their social realities. These imaginaries reflect an overarching narrative of ‘the West’ as a place that offers a superior mode of existence.

摘要

本文借鉴在丹麦攻读硕士课程的东欧学生的民族志实地考察，揭示了占主导地位的地理想象，这些想象为他们决定去国外接受教育提供了依据。将自己的生活与本国理想的生活轨迹保持一致的困难使学生们渴望在异国他乡有一个新的开始。他们把斯堪的纳维亚想象成一个机会丰富的地方——一个正常的地方，可以让他们将内心的渴望与社会现实结合起来。这些想象反映了“西方”作为一个提供优越存在方式的地方的总体叙述。