The Policy and Practice of Internationalization in the Global-South: African International Students’ Experiences in South Africa during COVID-19

Abstract

Understanding higher education internationalization is challenging as it includes different dimensions with variedimplications for universities. This paper focuses on the recruitment and teaching of international students. It explores theexperiences of African international students at two South African universities between 2020-2022, during the COVID-19pandemic-induced lockdown. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Informed by the capabilitiesapproach, the paper draws on Ubuntu and affiliation as key capabilities for an expansive conceptualization ofinternationalization. The study's findings reveal the intersecting and underlying constraining contexts for internationalstudents, exacerbated by the pandemic. Such a micro-level study contributes towards a nuanced understanding of thepractice of higher education internationalization in the global South. It highlights the need to reframe internationalizationas a reciprocal relationship based on mutual interconnectedness and mutual values that do not just respond to broader neoliberalnarratives but foster student and institutional flourishing.