Abstract
Inspired by Bourdieu’s (Homo academicus, Polity, Cambridge, 1988; The logic of practice, Polity, Cambridge, 1990) ideas of knowledge reproduction, the article presents an empirical mapping of knowledge geographies, as manifest in the curricular practices found within a single international MA programme in Denmark. Following an initial discussion of global trends in academic publishing, Berg’s (Geoforum 35:553–558, 2004) notions of “limited” and “unlimited” spaces are adopted as a conceptual framework, enabling us to identify “geographies of power” in the production and reproduction of academic knowledge. The empirical analysis is based on a data set comprised of course reading lists, lecturer biographies and interviews with five lecturers and one programme convener. A quantitative analysis of nationality and institutional affiliation of authors represented on the course curricula provides a general picture of knowledge geographies and places the USA/UK in the position as leading producers of knowledge, followed by northern Europe. A qualitative analysis of lecturers’ reflections on their curricular practices suggests an awareness of the dominant role occupied by the USA/UK and possibly Europe, but also a recognition of a need to engage with new spaces. The article concludes with a discussion of “open” versus “closed” positions among the lecturers, leading to an identification of possible change agents within the programme.
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This article has been produced as part of the project “Internationalisation and social practice within the field of Danish higher education”, funded by the Danish Council for Independent Research.
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The research conducted for the article complies with the ethical standards of Higher Education. The authors have no conflicts of interest and have collected the empirical data with the informed consent of all respondents.
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Tange, H., Millar, S. Opening the mind? Geographies of knowledge and curricular practices. High Educ 72, 573–587 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9964-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9964-9