Transnational competences and cultural capital: The experiences of two groups of highly educated returnees to Serbia
Authors: Predojevic-Despic Jelena 
Published: July 2022

The aim of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the
transnational competencies and cultural capital of migrants, as well as the
mechanism of their transfer after returning to their countries of origin,
based on Bourdieu?s conception of cultural capital. Using the example of two
groups of highly educated returnees to Serbia - scientists and artists - the
paper analyses the possibilities of the reproduction of cultural capital in
a new, transnational context, between countries of origin and destination,
as well as processes of transformation and the creation of new forms of
cultural capital. Returning to Serbia was a transnational experience for a
large number of respondents. This process was gradual, despite their
expressed desire to return to live and work in Serbia. In some cases, it
lasted for years, or the respondents were professionally present in both
communities at the same time. Establishing themselves in several different
societies enabled the respondents to open new transnational fields in which
cultural capital was transformed and upgraded. This significantly helped
them to better understand the differences in the functioning of the society
of origin and destination, as well as to develop innovative opportunities to
apply better communication and/or transfer knowledge and skills between the
two settings. New forms of cultural capital have helped a large number of
respondents come to the realisation that getting to know new cultures and
improving communication with them brings new qualities and opportunities for
global positioning in a professional sense. They also influence the
formation of new life aspirations and missions that can spread new cultural
practices that are relevant to the wider community. The results of the
research show that the two observed groups of highly skilled returnees
differ some-what in the way they have access to institutional support in the
process of transferring cultural capital. Artists, especially if they work
as freelancers upon their return to Serbia, have a significantly lower
opportunity to use institutional support than researchers in science and
teaching staff in tertiary education institutions. In that sense, they rely
more on social capital, i.e. informal migrant networks, and in that way they
look for ways to transform their cultural capital into economic capital. On
the other hand, scientific institutes and universities have a relatively
high degree of academic engagement and cooperation at both the national and
international levels. Therefore, they possess elements of the transnational
social field, that is, they represent multiple intertwined networks of
professional and social relations through which scientists have the
opportunity to exchange, organise, and transform ideas, practices, and
resources. Although these processes take place in an uneven way, especially
in the transnational context, they provide an opportunity to develop
cosmopolitan, transnational cultural capital through the interaction of
different types of competencies, which can be transformed into other forms
of capital. Finally, it should be noted that the conclusions of this
empirical research are based on a non-representative sample and cannot be
generalised.