Eva Hartman, Visiting Professor in IRPS, Associate Professor, Sociology of Education, Political and Global Sociology, University of Cambridge, will present her research on "Educational Diplomacy in Turbulent Times".
The internationalisation of higher education is widely regarded as crucial in bolstering host countries’ claims to global leadership. In the UK, international students have been considered “a major contributor to the UK’s soft power” (House of Lords, 2014: 98); in Germany, as a “third pillar of foreign policy” (Deutscher Bundestag, 2019: 7). But what do we know about how the internationalisation of higher education (IHE) relates to a country’s security and trade policies, and whether this relationship has changed in an era of increased global tensions and frictions? She will present some key findings of her current research project. It takes an interdisciplinary perspective and explores the relationship and tensions between international higher education, security, and trade strategies of the German and British governments. The two countries were selected as they differ in terms of how their universities relate to their governments, the degree of marketisation they display in higher education, and the existence of a colonial legacy (Hartmann, 2019, Marginson, 2018, Pritchard, 2011, De Boer et al., 2007).
Another presentation and discussion with participants will follow. The “work-in-progress” series provides scholars with an informal space to present their developing ideas and receive feedback from peers.