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Coelho, J. V. (2021). Portuguese expatriates and their international work experiences. XI Congresso Português de Sociologia.

J. V. Coelho,  "Portuguese expatriates and their international work experiences.", in XI Congr.o Português de Sociologia, 2021

@misc{coelho2021_1716152166194,
	author = "Coelho, J. V.",
	title = "Portuguese expatriates and their international work experiences.",
	year = "2021",
	howpublished = "Digital",
	url = "https://aps.pt/pt/xi-congresso-portugues-de-sociologia/"
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Portuguese expatriates and their international work experiences.
T2  - XI Congresso Português de Sociologia
AU  - Coelho, J. V.
PY  - 2021
UR  - https://aps.pt/pt/xi-congresso-portugues-de-sociologia/
AB  - Prevailing organizational and management discourses tend to present global employment
practices and international mobility as stimulating and distinguishing experiences. In this
regard, it is said to be important to gain international work experience, to go abroad, and
leave one’s comfort zone. Leaving and living abroad is portrayed in a favorable light, as both
an opportunity and a desirable choice that allows workers to grow professionally. However,
in contrast, from an individual, lived perspective, stories of failure, contradiction and
paradox are observed, as well as concrete difficulties in fully integrating an expatriate
experience.This presentation reports the results of a Phd study, where expatriation was
taken as empirical reference to enquiry contemporary international work and employment
practices. In particular, the subjective sense of ambivalence that tends to be associated with
the representation of an expatriation as a work arrangement used to anchor business
internationalization processes constitutes the problematizing axis of the research reported
by the presentation.24 individual expatriation experiences, observed in five different
multinational firms founded or located in Portugal, were studied. Analytical results suggest
that living and performing work in an expatriate context can foster individual and social
differentiation, as reported lived experiences don`t necessarily imply homogeneity,
conformity, personal growth or an enriched lifestyle. Differentiation, in specific contexts and
cases, arises unexpectedly, for both companies and individuals. Three types of expatriate
experience are proposed and described in detail, involving divergent modes to relate with
an expatriation setting: normative integration for conformist expatriates; self-serving
strategy for protean expatriates; and defensive distancing for stationary expatriates.
ER  -