The future of higher education and the claim of globalisation: revisioning the past, re-imagining the future

Recent years have seen a rise in policy papers and academic literature about the future of higher education, often formulated within a particular globalist imaginary. The thesis of this article is that this imaginary configures discourses on higher education futures and simultaneously reconstructs the history of higher education in terms of a process of global isomorphism. The prevailing discourse assumes a transition from nation-state-centred to globally oriented universities, emphasising convergence and integration on a global scale. Critically examining this globalist imaginary, the article uncovers several misconceptions in the historiography of higher education under the guise of globalisation. The globalist perspective tends to cast higher education history within a diffusionist framework, ignoring the complexities and nuances of historical development, especially in contexts marked by histories of colonialism. The article advocates for a cultural historiography that acknowledges contextual differences and confronts historical power relations. Challenging the assumptions of global isomorphism, the authors propose a shift in focus to foster a more nuanced understanding of the past of higher education, enabling more interesting and relevant imaginations of higher education futures.