Internationalising the ‘plural society’: Alternative transnational higher education in Malaysia скачать в хорошем качестве

Internationalising the ‘plural society’: Alternative transnational higher education in Malaysia

Mayumi Ishikawa, Center for Global Initiatives, Osaka University Conventional understanding of the internationalisation of higher education is primarily concerned with the transnational mobility of students from Global South to Global North, or the expansion of English-language programmes by emulating Western universities. This study, based on an ethnographic study of three international universities in Malaysia, explores the possibility of an alternative model of university internationalisation suited to specific post-colonial national and regional contexts. Such localised internationalisation is responsive to the emerging needs of students, families, communities and policymakers under globalisation. The institutions studied are 1) the International Islamic University, 2) the first overseas branch of a major Chinese university, and 3) a medical university college operated by a global higher education enterprise headquartered in India. They offer programmes to attract a regional population seeking high-quality international education that is sensitive to aspirations, non-Western intellectual heritages, ethno-religious consciousness and emerging regional economic opportunities. They all take advantage of Malaysia’s multi-ethnic social fabric or ‘plural society’ (Furnivall, 1939), constructed during British colonial rule, to cultivate international ties and recruit students from their respective ethnic communities and beyond. They forge transnational partnerships with an Islamic organisation, overseas Chinese commercial networks in East and Southeast Asia, and a private Indian higher education provider known for its science and technology prowess. The desire for Islamic education amongst the sizable Muslim population, Chinese economic power, and a local/regional demand for private medical education also provide a strong ‘pull’ factor for students from outside the region. There is broad policy support in Malaysia for the internationalisation of the national higher education system as a whole. Indeed, international education is promoted as part of the country’s strategic economic development plan and endorsed at the highest level of government. The study thus illuminates not only Malaysia’s changing multi-ethnic landscape under globalisation, but also the country’s globalisation strategy vis-à-vis its neighbouring giants, China and India. To download the presentation slides, read the abstract, and view a copy of the original chat transcript, please visit the CGHE website at: https://www.researchcghe.org/events/c...