Christian Normativity in Global Higher Education Policy and Practice

Overview & Synopsis

This paper seeks to make visible the legacy and endurance of Christian normativity in current global higher education policy and practice trends by making the links between the present day manifestations of these policies/practices and their Christian origins explicit, and by describing alternatives to presumably universal ideas. Global higher education policy, globalisation and the internationalisation of higher education are often described as secular phenomena, viewed as being decidedly areligious. In this view, religion is not a relevant or important lens to use when analysing trends like mobility schemes, neoliberal reforms, global university rankings, quality assurance mechanisms, and/or the proliferation of liberal education. However, religion (Christianity in particular) is embedded in many of these processes and the logics behind them. Acknowledging and understanding the role of Christian normativity in global higher education policy and practice can enable broader and more pluralistic discourse about the problems and opportunities for higher education globally.