Diversity Policies and Cultures in European Higher Education – An International Comparison
Project Lead: Lisa M. Rosen (M.A.) Primary Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Mechtild Gomolla Funding: Doctoral Scholarship of the Hans Böckler Foundation Duration: 01.04.2020 – 31.03.2023
Project Overview
This dissertation project examines the institutional changes in higher education driven by global education reforms in the context of policy-driven “Global Governance.” The research analyzes how these reforms affect national university regulations and their impact on political, legal, and cultural inclusion discourses within different education systems.
Using empirical case studies, the project investigates both connections and tensions between migration- and mobility-focused political strategies and university profiles designed to promote diversity. Additionally, it explores the collective experiences and learning orientations of university members engaged in diversity promotion.
This study applies discrimination-sensitive and intersectionally informed approaches from organizational research to transnational and (post-)national contexts. Eurocentric and nationalist constructions of difference are reflexively integrated into a heuristic model, making the interpretive struggles and tensions surrounding “diversity (promotion)” more visible.
Another key objective of the project is to bridge discourse-comparative and institutional multi-level analyses within the European education space. It particularly examines the heterogeneity and asymmetry of (post-)national inclusion and exclusion practices, aiming to further develop context-sensitive, reflective diversity research.