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ABSTRACT
This article aims to discuss the nexus of forced/intended internationalisation and mobility schemes within the framework of comparative national cases in Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK. These cases provide insight for challenges regarding neoliberal measures, academic freedoms, life-work issues including the precarity of displaced academics in current European higher education landscape. Mapping these issues and challenges with their intersectional threads may, further, develop perspectives for breaking through the neoliberal surge in European academia.
Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to her colleagues in Network for Decent Labor in Academia (NGAWiss) and Academics in Solidarity peer mentoring initiative for their insight in developing the main arguments in this article.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 L. Morley, N. Alexiadou, S. Garaz, J. González-Monteagudo, and M. Taba, ‘Internationalisation and Migrant Academics: The Hidden Narratives of Mobility’, Higher Education 76 (2018): 537–554.
2 K. Kosnick, ‘Decolonizing Migration Studies? Thinking about Migration Studies from the Margins’, 2021, https://journals.ub.uni-osnabrueck.de/index.php/zmf/article/view/115/91 (accessed September 20, 2021).
3 T. Mclaughlin, A. Chester, B. Kennedy, and S. Young, Eds., Tertiary Education in a Time of Change: Disruptions, Challenges and Strategies (Singapore: Springer Nature, 2020).
4 I. Salehyan, ‘Conclusion: What Academia Can Contribute to Refugee Policy’, Journal of Peace Research 56, no. 1 (2019): 146–151.
5 S. Milton, ‘Syrian Higher Education during Conflict: Survival, Protection, and Regime Security’, International Journal of Educational Development 64 (2019): 38–47.
6 This report was released in 2018 and can be accessed at https://www.euroscientist.com/displaced-migrants-in-higher-education-findings-from-a-study-on-pathways-and-support/.
7 Kosnick, ‘Decolonizing Migration Studies?’
8 The Study Report on Internationalization of Higher Education (2015). Directorate General for Internal Policies of the European Union. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/studies (accessed March 31, 2021).
9 M. A. Gayton, ‘Exploring the Widening Participation-internationalization Nexus: Evidence from Current Theory and Practice’, Journal of Further and Higher Education 44, no. 9 (2020), 1275–1288.
10 Former Erasmus, now Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. It supports priorities and activities set out in the European Education Area, Digital Education Action Plan and the European Skills Agenda. The 2021–2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life. For further info: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/about-erasmus/what-is-erasmus.
11 Refer to the 2013 report of European Commission, entitled, European higher education in the world. eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2013:0499:FIN:en:PDF.
12 The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are the European Union’s reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training. They contribute to excellent research, boosting jobs, growth and investment by equipping researchers with new knowledge and skills. They foster research cooperation across borders, sectors and disciplines. More info at: https://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/.
13 F. Hunter, ‘European Universities: Victims or Agents of Change?’ in Internationalization Revisited: New Dimension of the Internationalization of Higher Education, eds. J. Beelen, and H. de Wit (Amsterdam: Centre for Applied Research on Economics. Amsterdam University School of Applied Sciences, 2012), 114.
14 B. M. Kehm, ‘To Be or Not to Be? The Impacts of the Excellence Initiative on the German System of Higher Education’, in Institutionalization of World-Class University in Global Competition. The Changing Academy – The Changing Academic Profession in International Comparative Perspective, eds. J. Shin and B. Kehm, vol 6. (Springer, Dordrecht, 2013).
15 M. Wihlborg, and C. Teelken, ‘Striving for Uniformity, Hoping for Innovation and Diversification: a Critical Review Concerning the Bologna Process – Providing an Overview and Reflecting on the Criticism’, Policy Futures in Education 12, no 8 (2014).
16 E. Campion, ‘The Career Adaptive Refugee: Exploring the Structural and Personal Barriers to Refugee Resettlement’, Journal of Vocational Behavior 105 (2018): 6–16.
17 J. Knight, ‘Updated Definition of Internationalization’, International Higher Education. The Boston College Center for International Higher Education. issue 33 (2003): 2–3.
18 J. Knight, ‘Internationalization: A Decade of Changes and Challenges’, International Higher Education Issue 50 (2008).
19 Streitwieser et al., ibid.
20 Barbara M. Kehm, and Ulrich Teichler, ‘Research on Internationalisation in Higher Education’, Journal of Studies in International Education 11, no. 3–4 (2007): 260–73.
Svenja Bedenlier et al., ‘Two Decades of Research into the Internationalization of Higher Education: Major Themes in Journal of Studies in International Education (1997–2016)’, Journal of Studies in International Education 22 (2): 108–35. Especially for the thematic analysis in chronological order, refer to the second source.
21 Elizabeth Buckner, ‘The Internationalization of Higher Education: National Interpretations of a Global Model’, Comparative Education Review 63, no. 3 (2019).
22 Robin Shields, ‘Globalization and International Student Mobility: A Network Analysis’, Comparative Education Review 57, no. 4 (2013): 609–36.
23 Barry Leask, ‘Internationalizing the Curriculum in the Disciplines: Imagining New Possibilities’, Journal of Studies in International Education 17, no. 2 (2013): 103–18.
24 Jane Knight, ‘Education Hubs: International, Regional and Local Dimensions of Scale and Scope’, Comparative Education 49, no. 3 (2013): 374–87.
Stephen Wilkins and Jeroen Huisman, ‘The International Branch Campus as Transnational Strategy in Higher Education’, Higher Education 64, no. 5 (2012): 627–45.
25 Lisa K. Childress, ‘Internationalization Plans for Higher Education Institutions’, Journal of Studies in International Education 13, no. 3 (2009): 289–309.
26 Refer to https://suctia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SUCTIA-Report-1.pdf for the 2019-1-PL01-KA203-065656 SUCTIA report, entitled ‘Systemic University Change Towards Internationalization for Academia in European HE institutions: an exploratory study’.
27 Elizabeth Buckner, ‘The Internationalization of Higher Education: National Interpretations of a Global Model’, Comparative Education Review 63, no. 3 (2019).
28 The document by Marinoni can be accessed at https://www.iau-aiu.net/IMG/pdf/iau_5th_global_survey_executive_summary.pdf.
29 John K. Hudzik, Comprehensive Internationalization: From Concept to Action, The Association of International Educators (Washington, DC: NAFSA, 2011).
30 Sarah Guri-Rosenblit, ‘Internationalization of Higher Education: Navigating Between Contrasting Trends’, in The European Higher Education Area: The Impact of Past and Future Policies, eds. A. Curaj et al. (Springer International Publishing, 2015).
31 Hans De Wit, Keynote. ‘Why Internationalization? – Old and New Rationales in Diverse Higher Education Systems’, Online conference organized by University of Bonn (University of Bonn International Affairs, 5–6 October 2020).
32 De Wit, ibid.
33 Kai Sicks, Welcome Speech. ‘Why Internationalization? – Old and New Rationales in Diverse Higher Education Systems’, Online conference organized by University of Bonn (University of Bonn International Affairs, 5–6 October 2020).
34 The Study Report on Internationalization of Higher Education (Directorate General for Internal Policies of the European Union, 2015), http://www.europarl.europa.eu/studies (accessed March 31, 2021).
35 Ibid., 37.
36 Ibid., 39.
37 Alexandre Afonso, ‘Varieties of Academic Labor Markets in Europe’, Political Science and Politics 49/4 (Cambridge University Press, 2016).
38 Terri Kim, ‘Academic Mobility, Transnational Identity Capital, and Stratification under Conditions of Academic Capitalism’, Higher Education special issue 73 (2017): 981–997.
39 Ibid.
40 Gutiérrez Rodríguez, Encarnación. Institutioneller Rassismus und Migrations-kontrolle in der neoliberalen Universität am Beispiel der Frauen-und Geschlechter-forschung. In Prekäre Gleichstellung Geschlechtergerechtigkeit, soziale Ungleichheit und unsichere Arbeitsverhältnisse in der Wissenschaft, eds. Mike Laufenberg, Martina Erlemann, Maria Norkus, and Grit Petschick (Wiesbaden: Springer VS., 2018), 101–128.
41 Kosnick, ‘Decolonizing Migration Studies?’
42 Liz Morrish, ‘Academic Freedom is in Crisis, Freedom of Speech is not’, Council for the Defense of British Universities, 2021. http://cdbu.org.uk/academic-freedom-is-in-crisis-free-speech-is-not/.
43 A. Petö, ‘Roundtable Talk: After Resistance: Lessons Learned from Banning Gender Studies in Hungary’, Matter: Journal of New Materialist Research 1 (2020): 80–109.
44 For info on the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on European HE, refer to the report by EUA: https://eua.eu/downloads/publications/eua%20briefing_the%20impact%20of%20the%20covid-19%20crisis%20on%20university%20funding%20in%20europe.pdf.
45 Uwe Brandenburg et al., ‘Internationalization in Higher Education for Society (IHES). Concept, current research and examples of good practice’, German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD Studies (Bonn: DAAD, 2020). https://www2.daad.de/medien/DAAD-aktuell/ihes_studie.pdf.
46 Afonso, ‘Varieties of Academic Labor Markets in Europe’.
47 Related statistics available at https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/19-01-2021/sb259-higher-education-staff-statistics.
48 F. Popescu, D. Shtykhno, R. Iskandaryan, R., and M. Elshof, ‘Internationalization Agendas in Higher Education. A Dutch – Russian Perspective’, in Advances in Human Factors, Business Management and Leadership. AHFE 2020. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, eds. J. Kantola, S. Nazir, and V. Salminen, Vol. 1209 (Cham: Springer, 2020).
49 Report on Internationalisation of Academic Staff in European Higher Education (European Tertiary Education Register, 2019): 16–19.
50 This qualification scheme is optional for Humanities scholars, but still remains significant in the selection process.
51 Afonso, ‘Varieties of Academic Labor Markets in Europe’.
52 Richard Münch, Akademischer Kapitalismus: Über die politische Ökonomie der Hochschulreform (Frankfurt a.M.: Suhrkamp, 2011).
53 For more info on the campaign: https://mittelbau.net/.
54 The most recent uprise by academics and educational unions in Germany is focused on debunking the hourly work contract act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz) called 95 Theses against WissZeitVG: https://95vswisszeitvg.wordpress.com/95-theses-against-the-wisszeitvg/.
55 Afonso, ‘Varieties of Academic Labor Markets in Europe’.
56 Rajani Naidoo and Ian Jamieson, ‘Knowledge in the Marketplace: The Global Commodification of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’, in Internationalizing Higher Education: Critical Explorations of Pedagogy and Policy, eds. P. Ninnes and M. Hellsten (Springer, 2005), 37.
57 Lesley Wilson, ‘The Internationalization of Higher Education and Research: European Policies and Institutional Strategies’, in Possible Futures: The Next 25 Years of the Internationalization of Higher Education, eds. H. De Wit, F. Hunter, L. Johnson and H.-G. van Liempd (Amsterdam: European Association for International Education, 2013).
58 Louise Morley et al., ‘Internationalization and Migrant Academics: The Hidden Narratives of Mobility’, Higher Education 76 (2018): 537–554.
59 Harald Bauder, ‘The International Mobility of Academics: a Labour Market Perspective’, International Migration 53, no. 1 (2015): 83–96.
60 Hakan Ergin et al., ‘Forced Internationalization: An Emerging Phenomenon’, International Higher Education 69 (The Boston College Center for International Higher Education, 2019): 9–10.
61 Ibid.
62 Bernhard Streitwieser et al., ‘Access for Refugees into Higher Education: A Review of Interventions in North America and Europe’, Journal of Studies in International Education 23, no. 4 (2019): 473–496.
64 For the policy brief calling for more concrete action of HEIs for hosting displaced academics, ref. to https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/sites/academicsinsolidarity/Policy/_1/index.html.
65 Precarious International launch meeting, https://mittelbau.net/online-discussion-forum-precarious-international-solidarity-network-meeting-june-25-july-1/.
Additional information
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Asli Telli
Associate Professor Asli Telli holds a dual PhD in media and communications studies from the European Graduate School (Switzerland) with coursework in the US. She taught and advised international graduate students in numerous universities in Turkey, Switzerland, Malta, France, Germany and the US. She has published widely in competent outlets on participatory cultures, knowledge commons and dissent movements. She is a former AvH-PSI Fellow and Research Associate at Locating Media Program of Uni-Siegen, Germany (2017–2020) and a current Remote Research Fellow with WISER of Wits University, South Africa (2021–2022).