Paper details

Paper authors	Pat Gibbons and Ronan McDermott
In panel on	Towards Plural Humanitarianisms: Decolonising Theory through Global-South Perspectives
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

This paper examines the complex relationship between the internationalisation of higher education (IHE) and the localisation agenda within humanitarian action. It demonstrates that many of the shortcomings of IHE are shared with the international aid system and posits localisation as a way to address these challenges. To this end, the paper addresses the question: How can the internationalisation of higher education be localised to enhance its appropriateness and relevance for vulnerable, at-risk societies? More specifically, the paper presents shared structural inequalities in both the aid and higher education sectors based on Global North perspectives and institutional dominance; drawing on qualitative evidence from humanitarian educational and research programmes, partnership models, and policy frameworks, the paper analyses whether IHE in humanitarian contexts functions as a catalyst for transformative localisation or serves to maintain the status quo; it then identifies key contemporary challenges to reorient internationalised higher education to align more effectively with locally led humanitarian principles and the Grand Bargain commitments.

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