Rethinking the ‘global’ in global higher education studies: From the lens of the Chinese idea of tianxia

Abstract

This paper draws on the Chinese and English literature on the Chinese idea of tianxia (literally meaning all under heaven), with the objective of shedding new light on the discussion of the global in global higher education (studies). It argues that the tianxia idea embodies an approach to viewing the world that is fundamentally different from the dominant Euro-American worldviews, and contains unique merits in discussing global higher education phenomena. This approach highlights four elements in understanding the world: one-worldism (including the notion of thinking through the world and tianxia weigong, literally meaning all under heaven belongs to and is for all), he er butong (diversity in harmony), an emphasis on virtues, values, and norms in global governance, and an ecological imagining of the world. The implications of the four elements for global higher education are also discussed.