Kenyan Public Universities in the Age of Internationalization

Challenges and Prospects

Iddah Aoko Otieno

This book presents a comprehensive institutional level analysis of a single public institution of higher education in the Republic of Kenya using the case study method of investigation. It is the first case study to use both qualitative and quantitative research methodology to illuminate the experiences of Kenyan public universities with internationalization post-independence. Focusing on Kenya’s oldest national public university—the University of Nairobi’s experimentation with internationalization, Kenyan Public Universities in the Age of Internationalization is a first in the East African region. The book argues that attempts by institutions of higher education in Africa to engage in internationalization with the much more older and well established IHEs in the developed world has perpetuated the colonial legacy that has relegated these institutions to the position of the Other in the new international order. Several policy implications are offered on what it means to participate in internationalization from a marginal, peripheral position. The conventional assumption that political independence would bring to most African countries, and by extension their national public universities, a period of freedom from political, economic and cultural subjugation and exploitation by the more powerful world nations has proved elusive. This book is intended for a broad audience in the field of Comparative International Education. The mixed research methods used in this book will certainly appeal to instructors, students, and general readers interested in understanding the experiences of historically marginalized developing World institutions of higher education with internationalization. « less more »

Lexington Books

Pages: 156 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-4985-3616-5 • Hardback • June 2018 • $85.00 • (£54.95)

978-1-4985-3617-2 • eBook • June 2018 • $80.50 • (£54.95)

Subjects: Education / Higher, Education / Educational Policy & Reform / General, Education / Multicultural Education, Political Science / World / African

Kenyan Public Universities in the Age of Internationalization

Challenges and Prospects

Hardback

eBook

Summary

This book presents a comprehensive institutional level analysis of a single public institution of higher education in the Republic of Kenya using the case study method of investigation. It is the first case study to use both qualitative and quantitative research methodology to illuminate the experiences of Kenyan public universities with internationalization post-independence. Focusing on Kenya’s oldest national public university—the University of Nairobi’s experimentation with internationalization, Kenyan Public Universities in the Age of Internationalization is a first in the East African region. The book argues that attempts by institutions of higher education in Africa to engage in internationalization with the much more older and well established IHEs in the developed world has perpetuated the colonial legacy that has relegated these institutions to the position of the Other in the new international order. Several policy implications are offered on what it means to participate in internationalization from a marginal, peripheral position. The conventional assumption that political independence would bring to most African countries, and by extension their national public universities, a period of freedom from political, economic and cultural subjugation and exploitation by the more powerful world nations has proved elusive. This book is intended for a broad audience in the field of Comparative International Education. The mixed research methods used in this book will certainly appeal to instructors, students, and general readers interested in understanding the experiences of historically marginalized developing World institutions of higher education with internationalization.

Book Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 156 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-1-4985-3616-5 • Hardback • June 2018 • $85.00 • (£54.95)

978-1-4985-3617-2 • eBook • June 2018 • $80.50 • (£54.95)

Subjects: Education / Higher, Education / Educational Policy & Reform / General, Education / Multicultural Education, Political Science / World / African

Author

Iddah Aoko Otieno is professor of English and African studies at Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Internationalization Framework and Dependency Theory
Chapter Three: Mapping Internationalization at the University of Nairobi
Chapter Four: Turning Points in the International Dimension Post-Independence
Chapter Five: Rationales Driving Internationalization
Chapter Six: Risks Associated with Internationalization
Chapter Seven: Conclusion: Reflections on Interdependence in an Unequal World
Appendix A: The University of Nairobi Academic Structure: Colleges / Faculties / Schools
Appendix B: The University of Nairobi Organizational Structure
Selected Bibliography
Index
About The Author

Reviews

Internationalization of higher education, riding on the coattails of economic globalization, has become the standard for quality education in our time. Dr. Otieno’s expertly written book, Kenyan Public Universities in the Age of Internationalization: Challenges and Prospects, attempts to tease out some of the benefits of internationalization to an African university. It also meticulously highlights some unexpected consequences of the rush to internationalize. As Dr. Otieno points out, the colonial legacy and lack of competitive strength, among others, make it rather tricky for African universities to harness the advantages of internationalization. This book is a must read for all scholars interested in understanding the historical, political and socioeconomic factors that not only neutralize the expected gains of internationalization in African universities, but also directly thwart their efforts to establish meaningful global partnerships for research and scholarship.
— Stephen Appiah-Padi, Bucknell University

Kenyan Public Universities in the Age of Internationalization

Challenges and Prospects

Iddah Aoko Otieno

Kenyan Public Universities in the Age of Internationalization

Challenges and Prospects

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