(Un)Making Knowledge: Towards Cognitive Justice in International Higher Education

Abstract

This article examines how internationalisation in higher education shapes knowledge-making processes, drawing on ethnographic data from universities in the UK, Denmark, and Germany. It addresses macro-level issues of knowledge, power, and global hierarchies through an analysis of the micro-level experiences of international students and lecturers. The study investigates knowledge creation and sharing within internationalised classrooms across these three field sites and six masters’ cohorts. Through comparative analysis, it elucidates the varying degrees to which the educational environments at each institution facilitate or inhibit student collaboration, openness to diverse epistemologies, and critical reflexivity regarding power asymmetries and knowledge hierarchies. The paper highlights the need for academic institutions to move beyond expecting international students to adapt to existing frameworks and instead engage with their potential to transform and challenge established practices. This research offers new insights into how internationalisation can be reimagined to promote more inclusive educational practices.