Friday, September 20, 2019

Who said internationalization would be easy?

Liz Reisberg's recent essay about internationalization is based on a pretty simple assumption - that it has become more complicated and difficult to navigate. She cited the optimism of those who pursued internationalization with the belief that the flow of ideas and talent around the world would be easy and would benefit everyone. The reality is a bit different. She said, "We certainly underestimated the enduring legacy of political, economic, and military competition and mistrust among nations. Nor had we calculated the resurgence and effect of extremist ideology."

While I would agree that the dynamics of internationalization are growing more complicated, I also believe that educators should have recognized the potential complexity of the flow of ideas and learners/scholars from the beginning. The problem was the assumed applicability across borders (national and cultural) of knowledge and processes of learning. It was the hegemony of western educators that allowed there to be an assumption that educational transfer was direct, seamless, and easy. I may be in the minority but I'm glad that the current international environment is awakening a realization that internationalization requires serious and deeper work.

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