Making Globalization Work for Chinese Higher Education by Building Bridges between Internationalization and Multiculturalism

Abstract

The rapid expansion of higher education in China is bringing together two phenomena, internationalization and muhiculturalism.This study explores the question of what Chinese universi- ties are doing to bridge the gap between these two.Three types of higher education institutions atten- ded by minority students are selected:a university under the governance of an ethnic autonomous re- gion,located in Inner Mongolia;a university under the Central Ministry of Education in Beijing, and a university under the Ethnic Affairs Bureau,specifically designated for nationalities,in Hubei Province.A content analysis of selected relevant documents and interviews with university academ- ic/administrative staff,Ban and ethnic minority students were carried out.Chinese universities seem more than willing to internationalize for status advancement.However,multicuhuralism in the sense of recognition of ethnic minority cultures,is not viewed as bringing higher status.The impli- cations for bridging internationalization and muhicuhuralism are raised.

中國高等教育的迅速發展同時帶來了兩種現象——國際化和文化多元化,本文所要提出的問題就是如何把上述這兩種在中國高校中顯示出的進程銜接起來考慮。這次研究調查了三所學校.分別代表了中國少數民族學生參加高等教育時所面臨的三類不同選擇:學校1位于呼和浩特.由自治區政府直接管轄,它也是全國唯一一所實施蒙漢雙語教學的高校;學校2地處北京,由教育部管轄。生源主要為漢族學生;學校3主要由國家民委資助和管理。是一所專門面向少數民族學生的高等學府,地處湖北省武漢市。研究方法包括相關數據的文本分析、以及與學校教師、管理者、漢族和少數民族學生的訪談。研究發現,中國大學為了自身地位的提升。更愿意強調國際化,但卻沒有認識到倡導認同少數民族的多元文化亦有助于其地位的提升。最后,本文提出大學把國際化與多元化銜接起來的應對措施。