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Internationalisation at home … but now what? Early career academics navigating borders, boundaries and ‘grietas’
Date
2026-07-25
Abstract
Internationalisation has become a defining feature of higher education, intended to enrich institutions and foster global competencies among
students and staff. Yet, despite its promise, internationalisation remains shaped by neoliberal and colonial dynamics, generating both opportunities and challenges for those who cross academic and cultural borders. This study explores the holistic experiences of five early-career academics (ECA) navigating internationalisation in higher education. Drawing on border and boundary crossing theories, alongside a feminist critical lens, we examine how personal, linguistic, and institutional transitions shape identities and professional trajectories. We employed a collaborative autoethnographic approach, reflecting on our experiences as international ECA. Data were generated through structured storytelling and collective dialogue across nine online sessions, fostering shared reflection and critical incident analysis. A collaborative ‘Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats’ (SWOT) framework guided the data analysis, leading to a multi-layered interpretative analysis of the tensions, insights, and negotiated understandings emerging from our discussions. However, attempting to frame our experiences within the SWOT model revealed its limitations and became a site of epistemic resistance, prompting reflection, emotion, and transformation. Thus, findings cover the original SWOTm (utilising the SWOT framework) and a modified SWOT (troubling the SWOT framework). Our discussion highlights how the process of internationalisation, when viewed through feminist and boundary crossing lenses, exposes the tensions and discomfort of navigating in between academic, cultural, and personal spaces. In conclusion, we advocate for a shift towards holistic internationalisation – a human centred approach that recognises the personal dimensions of academic mobility and the importance of vulnerability, dialogue, and collective learning. Our practical conclusion for other ECAs who have taken an internationalisation route is to strongly encourage them to connect with each other through community, unpack experiences, support each other, and, as a result, engage in identity development.
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Description
Publisher
Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
Citation
Sport, Education and Society pp. 1-17
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Funding Information
Sustainable Development Goals
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License
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International