Transnational education: teaching and learning across borders. An introduction

Abstract

Transnational Education (TNE) combines two broad terms, “transnational” and “education.” The meaning and purpose of “education” has been forced to evolve to meet the needs of the early twenty-first century with its significant advances in information technology and unprecedented access to knowledge. “Transnational” on the other hand emphasizes the development of cross-border movements of people, institutions, systems and programs that have led to many new phenomena. The guest editors of this special issue come from different academic disciplines and backgrounds. We believe that a more in-depth understanding of the intricate tapestry of TNE requires study from various perspectives including historical, migratory, as well as social work research. Hence, in this issue we have attempted to provide an interdisciplinary view on, and understanding of, Transnational Education (TNE) that includes definitions and perspectives derived from research in education, historical studies, and human geography and migration research. First and foremost, the modern nation state and the modern educational system, which is associated with state regulation, professionally trained teachers, binding curricula and compulsory schooling, only emerged from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The nation-building process and the formation of school institutions are inseparably interwoven. Education is primarily classified as a national endeavor. It is a tool for nation-building and cultural homogenization and for the “creation and reproduction of citizens who carry and continue this project” (Adick, 2005, p. 245; Radtke, 2008). Legitimacy and acknowledgement of educational institutions by nation states always depend on their orientation toward, and integration into a nationally regulated education system. However, in recent times we see that education is increasingly shaped and institutionalized transnationally. Transnationalism is not a modern phenomenon, but looking through a transnational lens is a new approach. The focus topic of this issue is based on a broad understanding of the term “transnational.” According to the Palgrave Dictionary of Transnational History, it refers to “people, ideas, products, processes and patterns that operate over, across, through, beyond, above, under, or in-between polities and societies” or addresses “the flows of people, goods, ideas or processes that stretched over borders” (Iriye & Saunier, 2009). Border-crossing is not limited to crossing nation states but covers a wide range of geographical, political,