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The Complexity of Higher Education: A Career in Academics and Activism

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Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research

Part of the book series: Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research ((HATR,volume 29))

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Abstract

The international dimensions of higher education were, in the 1960s, not much analyzed. Academic systems in much of the world were small and oriented toward the elites. Massification was beginning. At the same time, students were an active political force on campus and in society. Philip Altbach’s career was shaped by these developments and by a commitment, stimulated by dissertation research, to an international perspective and a focus on India. Knowledge distribution, through books and journals, and the publishing industry are also little researched topics as they relate to higher education. Altbach, who served as editor of several top academic journals, analyzes the practices and economics of scholarly publishing. In the past several decades, with the salience of globalization, Altbach has examined the concepts of globalization and internationalization in higher education. The key role of the academic profession is also discussed in the context of the development of research universities.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Edith Hoshino Altbach for careful editing and to Liz Reisberg for editorial suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, 207 Campion Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA

    Philip G. Altbach Ph.D.

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  1. Philip G. Altbach Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Philip G. Altbach Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Michael B. Paulsen

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Altbach, P.G. (2014). The Complexity of Higher Education: A Career in Academics and Activism. In: Paulsen, M. (eds) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, vol 29. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8005-6_1

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