Imaginaries, Integration, and Resistance: The Case of Initiatives in Internationalization, Interculturalization and Indigenization in a Canadian University

Abstract

This article reports on an ethnographically-informed case study of a Canadian university that is experiencing growth and systems change through three initiatives: internationalization, intercultural education, and Indigenization. The article describes the goals of internationalization and “interculturalization” (a term coined at the university) at the site of the case study. The study then examines points of convergence and tensions between internationalization and interculturalization and emerging Indigenization initiatives. The work draws upon conceptualizations of “imaginaries” in higher education, and identifies that plural imaginaries exist within a single institution, creating opportunities for convergence but also over–reach by particular actors. We conclude that imaginaries are a useful conceptual tool for understanding the broad-based goals of higher education and identifying their varied rationales and also for understanding intra-institutional dynamics.