Reflections on symmetries and asymmetries in the internationalization of higher education in Brazil and Canada

Abstract

In this article we reflect on how internationalization is articulated in different ways within the context of a relatively new global educational credentials export industry (GEEI). This industry emerged largely as a response to decreased public funding of higher education in specific 'education export' countries. We take Canada as an example of one of these countries, to illustrate how the marketization of internationalization in higher education is reproduced and contested within that context. We contrast how internationalization is articulated in Canada with the context of internationalization in Brazil. We offer the case of a Brazilian university - UNILA, the Federal University for Latin American Integration, as an example of internationalization that attempts to challenge the global credentials export industry. mple. The example of UNILA shows how a commitment to international public service stands in contrast to transactional internationalization processes that sustain dominant trends of student and knowledge flows in North-South asymmetrical engagements.