Mobility and Migration: Freedom and Threat?

Abstract

This paper addresses issues of mass migration and the integration of migrants into higher education. The 2015–2016 ‘refugee crisis’ marks a turning point in the current period: it has many consequences – political, social and cultural – for the whole of Europe, as well as for higher education. Issues are often associated with concepts such as access to and participation in higher education, but often have a deeper dimension. By focusing on two concepts, mobility and migration, this chapter shows how the value dimension of some of the main categories of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) may change or become controversial. This trend is illustrated with some examples from everyday life which relate to the ‘refugee crisis’ and reflect the value and ideological shifts that are visible in particular in today’s populist discourses and can also affect the changing attitudes towards education and the understanding of the role of education in society. In the concluding section the author draws attention to the challenges and opportunities to be addressed by higher education policy.