Bridging the gap: the ‘new’ internationalisation
Dr Joanna Al-Youssef
joanna.alyoussef@yahoo.co.uk
Centre for English Language Education, School of Education, University of Nottingham, UK
Several interpretations of internationalisation have been noted in the literature (e.g. Qiang, 2003; Stier, 2004; Bolsmann and Miller, 2008) and in empirical studies into higher education institutions’ (HEIs) internationalisation strategies (e.g. Davies,1992; Rudzki, 1995; Knight, 1995; van Dijk and Meijer,1997, Al-Youssef, 2010). The various understandings of internationalisation seem to be influenced by individuals’ roles and positions in the HEI as well as their worldviews and the discursive construction of their identities (Ybama et al, 2009) and the emerging of the Cultural Other (Sanderson, 2004).
In this presentation, I will present different interpretations of internationalisation by members of a UK university, and explore briefly how these interpretations extend from an ‘old’ internationalisation, going as far back as the Middle Ages (De-Ridder-Symoens, 1992), where boundaries are reproduced and Others ostracized. I will also propose a model for a ‘new’ (interdisciplinary) internationalisation as a way of bridging the gap between institutions’ aspirations and individuals’ cultural gain.