On March 24 and 25, the University of Lorraine hosted an international symposium on the internationalization of higher education and research. Bringing together researchers and institutions from several regions of the world, this event allowed for an analysis of contemporary dynamics in student and scientific mobility through a comparative approach between France, Japan, Morocco, and the ASEAN countries.
An international symposium to rethink mobility dynamics
This international symposium aims to revisit the issue of internationalization of higher education systems in connection with international student and scientific mobility, which are currently at the heart of state interests and new problematics. In an increasingly globalized context, international mobility in and out has significantly developed and now plays an increasingly important role within higher education and research systems worldwide. More than a recommendation, it has become an obligation advocated by national, European, and global bodies.
An event rooted in long-term research
The symposium was organized by Yamina Bettahar, associate professor in sociology and history of sciences and member of the Archives Henri Poincaré (UMR 7117 of CNRS) at the University of Lorraine (March 24), and then in the international room of the Libération building (March 25), with the support of the University of Lorraine, the Archives Henri Poincaré Laboratory, CNRS, and the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et des Humanités Lorraine.
This international symposium builds on the extensive research conducted by Yamina Bettahar within the Archives Poincaré laboratory over several years, focusing on questions related to internationalization of higher education and scientific research in France, along with issues of attractiveness, mobility, and international movements of students and researchers from a socio-historical, contemporary, and comparative perspective on the international stage. These works have led to research programs and publications financially supported by the University of Lorraine, Archives Henri Poincaré, Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et des Humanités Lorraine, Métropole du Grand Nancy, and Grande Région.
International and multidisciplinary scientific exchanges
In a context of increasing globalization, considering new indicators (Campus France, 2024) and the dynamics that have been unfolding in recent years, this symposium brought together multidisciplinary researchers (in history, law, sociology, political science, education economics, architecture, and anthropology) from French universities (Nice Côte d’Azur) as well as Japanese universities (Tohoku – strategic partner of the University of Lorraine, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Tokyo – with representation from Hitotsubashi and Keio universities), Moroccan universities (University of Casablanca), and academic and scientific institutions such as the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, based in Ha Noi.
Attractiveness policies and national strategies under scrutiny
From the French perspective, policymakers responsible for mobility issues have been trying to promote an innovative policy in recent years based on new mechanisms to enhance international attractiveness (Campus France, Welcome to France program, welcoming talent program, tuition fees, introduction of English-taught master’s courses). Therefore, as specialists in these issues, it was interesting to compare our contexts, national specificities, issues, and approaches in order to better support state policies and our supervising ministries in decision-making and management of these important issues for our countries.
Themes at the heart of contemporary scientific debates
The objective of the symposium held on March 24 and 25 allowed for a reconsideration of the internationalization of international higher education systems, issues of attractiveness, student and scientific international mobility, and the presentation of recent research results in light of new geopolitical challenges and problematics. Several aspects of these issues were discussed during the symposium such as:
Several aspects of these issues were discussed during the symposium such as:
– Epistemic and paradigmatic aspects raised by internationalization of higher education and mobility.
– National contexts and their socio-historical, economic, political, and cultural specificities.
– National policies and strategies pursued by each country to promote international mobility.
– Presentation and analysis of statistics regularly produced and updated by Campus France.
– The innovative case of the University of Lorraine with the example of the crisis committee set up during the Covid-19 pandemic, subsequently transformed to accommodate students and researchers refugees (Ukraine Middle East) and which enabled continued cooperation and reception of students and researchers from countries in conflict despite difficult geopolitical contexts.
– The integration of the competency-based approach (APC) in Japan with the transition between high school and university, in a context marked by the increasing internationalization of higher education and student mobility.
– The pedagogical co-construction of a joint Francophone Master’s program (France-Vietnam), balanced, strengthening local capacities as attempts to overcome the asymmetrical relations inherited from the colonial period; the role and place of Francophonie in a context of multipolarization of knowledge and linguistic hegemony of the English language.
– Changes that have occurred in recent years in internationalization policies of scientific research, particularly regarding the circulation of international doctoral students and doctors, through case study results conducted in Japan.
– The emergence and development of new regional attraction poles such as “Hubs”, using the example of Malaysia.
– The challenges of employability of international graduates in Japan in light of a labor shortage and aging population in the country, through the development of a policy promoting the integration of foreign students into the Japanese labor market.
– The mobility of Moroccan doctoral students in Japan, explored through a survey on post-study trajectories, reasons for choosing to study in Japan, logics of sustainable settling, returning or mobility to other spaces, and identity and spatial recompositions on a still poorly documented theme.
University of Lorraine, a committed actor in internationalization
Thus, this symposium offered us the opportunity to reflect, question, and collectively analyze these themes related to the internationalization of higher education and in and out mobility movements, to confront them with the major issues related to globalization and socio-economic, political, and geopolitical crises that have been affecting our societies for several decades. The collective analysis identified essential sections for rethinking the internationalization of higher education: the need for more balanced co-construction of knowledge, the importance of strengthening local capacities for sustainability, the challenges of Francophonie multipolarization in the face of Anglophone competition, and the emergence of other actors as regional academic powers. These sections will lead to recommendations for the development of future university and scientific cooperation in a context of harmonizing exchanges and ecological transition questioning the traditional circulation paradigm.
More broadly, this symposium is also part of the strategic policy of the University of Lorraine regarding international action, and the historical commitment of the Lorraine region to incoming and outgoing mobility. This provides a rich and relevant platform for studying international mobilities between UL and other parts of the world, especially Japanese (twinning of the city of Nancy with Kanazawa initiated in 1973 which allows students from both cities to benefit from inter-university exchange programs). We can also mention the strategic partnership between the University of Lorraine and Tohoku University (with the presence at the symposium of a representative from Tohoku University, a strategic partner of the University of Lorraine).
Strengthening international academic cooperation and networks
The presence of academics from universities in Hiroshima, Tokyo, and Kyoto as well as the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam will allow us to strengthen academic relations with other universities in Asia, build a network of institutional relations and scientific collaborations, and be interface actors to establish connections between their institutions and our university.
Ultimately, this international symposium will contribute, on the one hand, to strengthening the scientific visibility and international reputation of our university (bodies in charge of strategy and international relations, research laboratories, components) through collaboration networks on these issues with Japan, Vietnam, and which will also benefit our overall excellent university.
