Internationalisation of higher education: A critical analysis of the intercultural dimension of a visiting scholar programme

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a study on the intercultural dimension of internationalisation at two universities, located in China and Canada, as evidenced through their visiting scholar (VS) programme. Andreotti and her research team identified three articulations of internationalisation in higher education that are located in a modern/colonial imaginary. They propose a fourth articulation, relational trans-localism, that is located outside the modern/colonial imaginary. As participants in the VS programme, we used critical ethnography and critical discourse analysis to investigate the influences of the modern/colonial articulations on the intercultural dimension of the program, and our attempts to develop practices outside the modern/colonial imaginary. Our findings show that although the programme was profoundly affected by neoliberal and liberal discourses, we achieved some success in creating spaces of relational trans-localism. We conclude by identifying the factors that were enabling of these alternative spaces.

A geopolitics of knowledge analysis of higher education internationalisation in Kazakhstan

“…Western universities are the ‘go to’ if one requires highly valued credentials. Examining place and context influencing academic outcomes clearly shows that certain geographical spaces produce highly valued education (Brooks & Waters, 2011; Zheng et al., 2020). Research indicates the extent to which Western degrees benefit non‐Westerners (Brennan, 2013; Holloway et al., 2012), as the standards of the Western academy are universalised.…”

“…This trend continues in the internationalisation of higher education, where this knowledge underpins highly ranked universities (Mignolo, 2003). As was observed in China (Zheng et al, 2020), Kazakhstani students are eager to participate in the civilising mission of the Western university as it offers superior knowledge that enhances their marketability in the home labour market. Thus, 'we live in a modern/colonial world, … knowledges are not produced from a universal neutral location, and we need to epistemologically account for the geopolitics of our knowledge product' (Grosfoguel, 2002, p. 209).…”