Europe as spatial imaginary? Narratives from higher education ‘policy influencers’ across the continent

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Europe as spatial imaginary? Narratives from higher education ‘policy influencers’ across the continent

Brooks, R; (2021) Europe as spatial imaginary? Narratives from higher education ‘policy influencers’ across the continent. Journal of Education Policy , 36 (2) pp. 159-178. 10.1080/02680939.2019.1672212. Green open access

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Abstract

Europe is, in many ways, of central importance to discussions about higher education. Various European initiatives, such as the Bologna Process and the Erasmus mobility programme, have had a direct and material impact on the shape and nature of higher education across the continent. They have also been linked to wider political objectives, such as the inculcation of a European political identity, and the strengthening of the European political and economic space relative to other parts of the world. Nevertheless, the relationship between Europe and education has tended to remain rather marginalised within research. We know relatively little, for example, about how policymakers think about Europe and the extent to which it constitutes an important frame of reference for them. To start to redress this gap, we draw on an analysis of policy documents and interviews with key policy stakeholders to argue that the idea of Europe constitutes an important ‘spatial imaginary’ for higher education within the continent, and helps to frame the ways in which students are conceptualised. However, we also suggest that this is not played out in uniform ways; there are significant differences between both countries and different groups of policy actors within them.

Type:	Article
Title:	Europe as spatial imaginary? Narratives from higher education ‘policy influencers’ across the continent
Open access status:	An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI:	10.1080/02680939.2019.1672212
Publisher version:	https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2019.1672212
Language:	English
Additional information:	This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords:	Comparative, higher education, Europe, qualitative
UCL classification:	UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Education, Practice and Society
URI:	https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10082085