Interrogating the power dynamics in international projects

In South Africa, the push for global rankings and the possibility of attaining funding mean that participation in international projects is often prized.  However, although international projects in higher education can bring enormous benefits, they can also exhibit 'social dynamics' (Brad...

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Main Authors: Chrissie Boughey, Sioux McKenna
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Western Cape 2021-12-01
Series:Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning
Online Access:https://www.cristal.ac.za/index.php/cristal/article/view/448
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author Chrissie Boughey
Sioux McKenna
author_facet Chrissie Boughey
Sioux McKenna
author_sort Chrissie Boughey
collection DOAJ
description In South Africa, the push for global rankings and the possibility of attaining funding mean that participation in international projects is often prized.  However, although international projects in higher education can bring enormous benefits, they can also exhibit 'social dynamics' (Bradley, 2008) that impact on the extent to which all involved can participate equally. In the case of South African participation, these social dynamics are often shaped by our history and the way it continues to impact on the institutional landscape. This paper draws on one project, funded by the European Union and involving six South African as well as six European universities, in order to explore the way these dynamics played out and, thus, the extent to which all partners were able to participate equally.  Archer's (1995, 1996, 2000) social realism is used to analyse the dynamics of the project and, more specifically, the way different project partners' ability to exercise their agency was shaped by the social and cultural conditions in the global and national arena as well as within the project itself.
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spelling doaj.art-7f9bfcb5fc3d4457b7fcd2d408eed2e62022-12-21T20:12:36ZengUniversity of the Western CapeCritical Studies in Teaching and Learning2310-71032021-12-019210.14426/cristal.v9i2.448Interrogating the power dynamics in international projectsChrissie Boughey0Sioux McKenna1Rhodes UniversityRhodes UniversityIn South Africa, the push for global rankings and the possibility of attaining funding mean that participation in international projects is often prized.  However, although international projects in higher education can bring enormous benefits, they can also exhibit 'social dynamics' (Bradley, 2008) that impact on the extent to which all involved can participate equally. In the case of South African participation, these social dynamics are often shaped by our history and the way it continues to impact on the institutional landscape. This paper draws on one project, funded by the European Union and involving six South African as well as six European universities, in order to explore the way these dynamics played out and, thus, the extent to which all partners were able to participate equally.  Archer's (1995, 1996, 2000) social realism is used to analyse the dynamics of the project and, more specifically, the way different project partners' ability to exercise their agency was shaped by the social and cultural conditions in the global and national arena as well as within the project itself.https://www.cristal.ac.za/index.php/cristal/article/view/448
spellingShingle Chrissie Boughey
Sioux McKenna
Interrogating the power dynamics in international projects
Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning
title Interrogating the power dynamics in international projects
title_full Interrogating the power dynamics in international projects
title_fullStr Interrogating the power dynamics in international projects
title_full_unstemmed Interrogating the power dynamics in international projects
title_short Interrogating the power dynamics in international projects
title_sort interrogating the power dynamics in international projects
url https://www.cristal.ac.za/index.php/cristal/article/view/448
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