Academic Exchange and South–south Migrations at the Federal University of Roraima: Initial Considerations

This paper investigates the migratory trajectories of international students from the Global South at the Federal University of Roraima (UFRR). To achieve this objective, the research constructs a periodization of academic cooperation agreements involving the University. The study is based on the hypothesis that, until the 2000s, such agreements were primarily guided by a perspective of regional integration. In the 21st century, however, globalization has redefined academic exchange, both through the inclusion of countries from other continents—particularly African countries—and through the consolidation of Brazil, and Roraima in particular, as a place of transit within the dynamics of South–South migration. Methodologically, the research relies on two investigative strategies: (i) documentary analysis and administrative records—covering agreements that foster academic exchange at UFRR; records of immigrants in the Higher Education Census (INEP/Ministry of Education); and immigrant records from the Brazilian Federal Police (SISMIGRA/Ministry of Justice)—and (ii) semi-structured interviews with international students from the Global South enrolled at the University. The preliminary empirical evidence presented in this project already indicates the presence of students originating from locations with no historical ties to the region, as well as the growing importance of academic exchange among Portuguese-speaking African countries. Analyzing the connection between this phenomenon and subsequent mobility toward the Global North constitutes a research challenge that this project aims to address.