Unraveling the Myth of Western Supremacy: A Critical Discourse Analysis of US News Reporting on International Student Migration From China

This study investigates how international student migration (ISM) from China has been shaped by a disturbing trend underpinned by the myth of Western supremacy. The investigation is conducted through a critical discourse analysis of U.S. news coverage of the cross-border movement of undergraduate Chinese international students attending U.S. higher education institutions. The findings of the study suggest that the myth of Western supremacy can be conceptualized with reference to two interwoven processes. One process is encapsulated in the discursive construction of an "us-them " paradigm. Accompanied by this process, a set of onto-epistemological boundaries between the students' home and host countries were reified through the polarized assignment of negative out-group representations to the former and positive in-group representations to the latter. The other process is encapsulated in the discursive construction of a "(neither) us-(nor) them " dilemma. Accompanied by this process, the subject positions of the students were manipulatively framed through the prism of the said "us-them " paradigm. The findings of the study are discussed in terms of their implications for examining the ethical and political dimensions of educational internationalization and for envisioning an equity-driven agenda to guide the future of ISM.