Academic Mobility: Solidarity or Privilege?

This October, Aix-Marseille University will host 31 researchers from the United States whose academic freedom has come under pressure following the return of the Trump administration. According to the university, those selected are senior academics in fields such as environmental science, gender studies, history, geography, and public health. They were chosen from over 300 applicants, and nearly 600 scholars had expressed interest in relocating.

The program, called “Safe Place for Science,” is a political statement as much as an academic one. In an official announcement, the university president described the initiative as a way to offer hope in what he called a moment of intellectual darkness.

At first glance, it looks like a powerful gesture. But behind the show of support lies an older problem: academic mobility is not equally available to everyone. The ability to move depends on more than credentials or motivation. It’s still closely tied to privilege.

Who Gets to Move?

Even when emergency fellowships or relocation grants are available, moving costs money. Visa fees, plane tickets, housing, daily expenses during transition — none of that disappears with a funding letter. For many, the opportunity remains out of reach not because the door is closed, but because they cannot afford to walk through it.

More Than Language

Speaking the language is not enough. You also need to understand the unspoken rule — how to apply, how to network, how to present your work in a way that fits what institutions are used to. For those raised in multilingual or internationally connected environments, this comes naturally. Others may be equally qualified but find themselves left out simply because they speak in unfamiliar terms.

Whose Knowledge Counts?

In most mobility programs, academic legitimacy still follows a narrow path: research in English, framed by Western theories, peer-reviewed by familiar names. Work grounded in local contexts, written in regional languages, or shaped by different epistemologies often doesn’t make it through. The idea of global recognition still largely favors the North.

Not All Mobility Is Equal

Sometimes, what is offered is more symbolic than structural. A few months abroad, a temporary post, a chance to speak but little connection to ongoing research. That kind of “inclusion” does not shift the power dynamics. It risks reproducing elite circles under the banner of diversity.

What Needs to Change

The AMU case matters not only because it provides protection, but because it makes visible a broader issue. If academic mobility is to become more equitable, we need to change how we think about access.

Mobility doesn’t always need to be physical. Remote collaborations can be just as valuable, if institutions take them seriously and treat off-site researchers as full members of their communities.

Not every research center needs to be in Paris, London, or New York. We need more investment in universities and networks rooted in other places, with their own priorities, languages, and questions.

Most importantly, mobility should not mean sending the “best” abroad. Real collaboration is reciprocal. It means sharing funding, designing programs together, and building projects that reflect multiple voices not just one model of excellence.

A Final Note

Science does not live only where it's safe. And access is not just about who receives a visa. Mobility also defines who is heard, who gets to contribute, and who belongs.

The AMU initiative is an important step. But if we want real change, we need to look past individual stories of rescue and start asking harder questions about the system itself.

About the author

Lilian Lori (Liliane Laurie) is a French language tutor and education consultant working with international applicants to universities in France and across Europe. She writes about admissions, language policy, and the politics of knowledge access with a focus on how education intersects with questions of equity, mobility, and public life. Her current projects — WindowToFrance and STUDYON — support students from Eastern Europe and beyond in navigating higher education in the region.

You can follow her work on Telegram: @lilian_lori