Asserting the Nation: The Dominance of National Narratives in Policy Influencers’ Constructions of Higher Education Students

Abstract

Drawing on interviews with 26 higher education ‘policy influencers’ from six European countries (Denmark, England, Germany, Ireland, Poland, and Spain), this article considers the ways in which students were commonly understood by this particular group of social actors. It argues that, although a number of the characteristics of contemporary students identified by the interviewees are evident across many nation-states within Europe, they were frequently discussed and explained in terms of very distinct ‘national narratives’, with policy influencers often making reference to their country’s specific history and culture. The implications of such narratives for European higher education and geopolitical relations more generally are explored.

Paradise lost or created? How higher-education staff perceive the impact of policy on students

“…It also speaks to the frequent recourse to 'national narratives' across the dataset. It was notable that, within the policy influencer interviews in particular, trends that have been evidenced across the continent were often explained in terms of what the interviewees considered to be very distinct national histories, cultures and political journeys (see also Brooks 2020). Despite many of these policy influencers apparently engaging regularly with their counterparts in other European nations, and the well-documented cross-national nature of some of these trends (in both policy reports and academic studies), the reliance on national explanations was striking.…”

What is higher education to contemporary students in Germany?

“…Given that the understanding of HE varies considerably between countries (Brooks, 2021;Jungblut et al, 2015), based on their particular history, educational traditions and policies (Brooks, 2018(Brooks, , 2020, this paper will specifically address the case of Germany. This case is particularly interesting because the German university model and understanding of HE purpose was once the cornerstone and innovator for a new modern humanist way into higher education and it has found many imitators (Moutsios, 2013) but is currently undergoing fundamental changes in the 21st century (Hüther & Krücken, 2018).…”

“…Most are national case studies or comparative studies across national higher education systems (HESs). This happens because (higher) education was developed closely together and within the nation, and therefore concepts and ideas of what higher education should be differ vastly across countries (Bourdieu, 1998b; Brooks, 2020).…”