Variegated Regionalism and Higher Education: An Approach Susan L. Robertson University of Bristol Variegated Regionalism and Higher Education: An Approach

Consider these different moments of HE regionalism…

EU-LAC

How might we theorise these rather different forms of regionalising/region-building? ….. And, what work does HE get asked to do in this process?

N=1 Classical political science Integration largely driven by economic concerns State led/institutions Internal process/teleological Comparison with…[…EUROPE…]

Varieties of region-ness Rise of governance – ‘new regionalism’ Diversity of actors involved Distinct families of regions with internal coherence However…region-ness again invokes stages/thickness of institutional arrangements and ignores politics of rescaling, state transformation….

Variegated regionalism Variant of range of work emerging on ‘variegation’ Uneven development of capitalism and workings out of ongoing complex and contradictory cultural, political and economic dynamics Looks at the events generating events

Global HE regionalisms European Higher Education Area Brand Mercosur ASEAN HE Area