The European Landscape

A Shifting Perspective

Internationalisation of higher education is a relatively recent concept but one which has roots in a longer history. This article, an update from the 2016 version with the same title in the Internationalisation of Higher Education Handbook, sets out to trace that historical development with a principal focus on the last 30 years, addressing recent political developments, the outcomes of the 2018 Ministerial Conference of the Bologna Process as well as new initiatives from the European Commission and how they will impact the internationalisation process in Europe. Alongside the historical developments, it considers how researchers have observed the shifts and sought to capture them in definitions that can enhance both our understanding and enactment of internationalisation of higher education, as well as addressing its misconceptions and unintended negative consequences.