Thesis
French
ID: <
10670/1.wqwwob>
Abstract
This PhD research analyzes the social dimension of Malian students' mobility in French and Moroccan higher education. Confronted with a higher education system with limited capacity, many Malian students perceive mobility as a loophole. These students going abroad perpetuate a tradition of mobility consubstantial with the training of Malian elites in the twentieth century. This mobility is encouraged by the state through cooperation exchanges, as well as private educational institutions particularly in Morocco, that adapt their educational options and services to the demands of sub-Saharan countries. We interrogate how geographical mobility is part of a social mobility strategy and then demonstrate how inequalities in the Malian school system, based on disparities in economic, cultural and social capital, shape inequalities in access to mobility. However, these inequalities are overcome by the mobilization of "weak ties", including extended kinship, by socially disadvantaged students. Social capital plays a crucial role in achieving success through mobility, where students from disadvantaged families succeed as much as those from elite families with politico-economic and religious clout. The career paths of Malian graduates from France and Morocco finally highlight the key role of international mobility for higher education, in addition to schooling in Mali: a guarantee of access to elite status in Mali, for the greater number. Consequently, international mobility appears as a factor in the transformation of social hierarchies.