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Internationalizing Chinese higher education: a glonacal analysis of local layers and conditions

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Abstract

In this paper, we examine the local conceptions, interpretations, and implementations of internationalization at one Chinese higher education institution, to provide a more complex and nuanced understanding of internationalization in the globalizing educational context. In particular, we explore the analytical capacity of Marginson and Rhoades High Educ 43(3), 281–309, (2002) glonacal (global + national + local) agency heuristic by examining the local “layers and conditions” of our research site. We found two local conceptions, Xue Shu Feng Qi (a Mandarin phrase relating to the academic culture) and Jie Gui (a metaphor for internationalization) were used by local actors in relation to the inbound and outbound flows of scholars and disciplinary norms that influenced the global and national reputation of the department. We interpret these local concepts as salient “layers and conditions” of the glonacal agency heuristic, providing an empirical example to more fully understand the theoretical implications of this perspective in higher education research.

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Notes

  1. Project 211 is a priority-funding policy that allocates extra money to China’s top universities. It was first announced in 1993, and implemented in 1995. It now includes 116 universities.

  2. In 2004, China’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance jointly decided to fund a number of Project 985 Innovation Platforms and the Project 985 of Philosophy and Social Sciences innovation Programs, to promote the formation of a group of world-class disciplines and to promote the development of social sciences disciplines.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education Policy Studies, Pennsylvania State University, 405A Rackley Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Huacong Liu

  2. Department of Educational Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

    Amy Scott Metcalfe

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  1. Huacong Liu
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  2. Amy Scott Metcalfe
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Correspondence to Huacong Liu.

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Liu, H., Metcalfe, A.S. Internationalizing Chinese higher education: a glonacal analysis of local layers and conditions. High Educ 71, 399–413 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9912-8

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