Forum guidelines

Identity and belonging in a divided world

Deadline to submit: 04 August 2026

International higher education increasingly engages with questions of individual identity, inclusion and belonging. As mobility patterns diversify and campuses become more transnational, through alliances, networks and internationalisation at home, institutions must improve their capacity to ensure all members of their communities can belong and thrive. What are the key challenges higher education institutions (HEIs) face in fostering belonging amid internationalisation and what systemic approaches can make a difference? 

For this issue, we invite contributions that explore topics including (but not limited to) the following: 

• Student and staff belonging: How can local and international students and academic and professional staff co‑create inclusive environments characterised by mutual recognition, participation and care? 
• Academic hospitality: What does academic hospitality look like in practice, and how does its meaningful implementation foster belonging? 
• Mental health and identity: What wellbeing challenges arise as international students and staff navigate identity and belonging, and how can institutions respond proactively? 
• The politics and practice of DEI: Who gets to belong to internationalised HEIs, and how do policies, procedures and everyday practices sometimes create unintended exclusions? How can institutions foster participation while avoiding bias in administrative systems? 
• Belonging in the (online) classroom: How can curricula, pedagogy and virtual exchange initiatives promote authentic intercultural belonging across physical and digital campuses? 
• Partnerships and networks: How can international HEIs networks and partnerships be designed to support mutual belonging and equitable collaboration? 
• Diasporic communities as resources: What role do diasporas play in creating belonging for mobile students, and what do institutions need to keep in mind as they engage in transnational networks for the purposes of student support?

Responsible internationalisation

Submissions are closed. The issue will be published at the end of June. 

The term 'responsible internationalisation’ has taken on a variety of meanings in recent years, with significant work being undertaken in many quarters to develop a common understanding of this complex notion. Some link the concept to matters of national security and protection of intellectual property from 'foreign interference’. Others assert that responsibility in our sector has more to do with questions of ethical behavior in the treatment of partners and mobility participants and the mitigation of negative consequences from programmes, policies or actions. Still others consider economic competitiveness to be a key ingredient for responsible internationalisation.  

These various and often interconnected definitions are shaped by intense new challenges in an increasingly fractured landscape. Countries are implementing re-bordering policies and nationalism. In addition to this, polarisation within societies are rising and geopolitical tensions are intensifying. Against this backdrop, this issue examines the multiple perspectives – at national, regional, sectoral or institutional levels – on what ‘responsible internationalisation’ means to the international higher education sector today. More specifically, how it is being enacted or managed in practice in a context of volatility and change. In doing so, we particularly encourage contributions that invite geographically diverse perspectives, including those from outside the EU, recognising that responsible internationalisation may carry different meanings and practices across global contexts. 

We invite contributions addressing questions such as: 

• Fundamental insights: What makes internationalisation 'responsible'? Is it necessary for the concept of responsible internationalisation to focus on one key set of issues or concerns in order to be coherent? What is gained or lost by a multifaceted understanding of responsibility in our sector?  
• Professional ethics: What are the responsibilities of international education professionals within and beyond higher education institutions? What are the codes of conduct being adopted in different countries? How should they be held responsible for unethical practices?     
• Student and staff mobility: What does ‘responsible’ student and staff mobility look like today – for students, for higher education institutions, for governments or societies? 
• Securitisation vs. openness: What are the emerging best practices for balancing security concerns with inclusive internationalisation strategies? 
• Academic collaboration: What institutional and national-level safeguards can protect academic collaboration and international research projects from interference, while enabling partnerships that transcend geopolitical divides? How can policies framing partnerships both ensure autonomy and foster collaboration? 
• Academic freedom: Whose academic freedoms and institutional autonomy are most at risk in the current climate? How do different cultural and political contexts shape understandings of what academic freedom should entail? 
• Engaging stakeholders: How can higher education institutions, policymakers and the general public effectively communicate their viewpoints about responsible internationalisation to one another? How can trust be built between stakeholders to ensure meaningful policy and practice?