Partner Positioning: Examining International Higher Education Partnerships through a Mutuality Lens

Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; Fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/subscribe.html

Y

28

International Education; Higher Education; Partnerships in Education; Power Structure; Qualitative Research; Cultural Differences; International Cooperation; Educational Cooperation; Universities; Case Studies; Institutional Cooperation; Foreign Countries; Economic Development

Europe; Africa; Asia; Mexico

10.1353/rhe.2017.0032

0162-5748

Scholarship on international higher education partnerships is often framed by strategic management and organization theories. These approaches are useful, but can minimize how power dynamics and positioning of partners impact engagement and outcomes. This study uses qualitative inquiry to examine 60 international higher education partnerships through the lens of mutuality in order to emphasize how partners negotiate and navigate power. Partnerships were comprised of a university in the U.S. and in the Majority World with the goal of addressing international development challenges. Findings emphasize the process of partnership creation, navigating cross-cultural contexts, partner positioning and partnership dynamics, and stakeholder engagement.

As Provided

39

2017

EJ1153578