What does the literature says about international mobility and its impacts on different spheres of academic careers?

Resumen

Given the growing strategic importance of international mobility for funding agencies and higher education institutions, this study presents a mapping review of scientific articles published from 2013 to 2022 and indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Its aim is to identify the predominant themes, the geographical and temporal patterns of knowledge production in this field, the methodologies employed, and the main research gaps. The analysis involved a careful selection of articles, followed by an examination of abstracts and full texts, thematic categorization, and data interpretation. The results show that, despite the hegemony of Global North countries as centers of knowledge production and as preferred destinations for international mobility, new actors—namely China, India, Singapore, and South Korea—have been reshaping the global landscape. Nevertheless, there remains limited research on gender and racial inequalities, pointing to gaps that may inform future studies.