Internationalizing Social Sciences: On Personal Bonds

• In Event: Decolonizing Science: Where Have We Gotten To? - II

Abstract

The internationalization of science and technology in general, and of social sciences in particular, is a phenomenon widely analyzed in the STS and sociology literature. In this context, preeminence is granted to the international trends (e.g. recommendations by UNESCO, WB or other international organizations), to public policies at national or regional level (e.g. EU Framework Programme for Research and or national councils’ policies) and the institutional regulations and practices (e.g. mobility programs). However, while recognized as fundamental, personal bonds between researchers have been understudied as a driving force behind internationalization. Based on qualitative interviews conducted between 2016 and 2018 in Mexico, this paper addresses the multiple (and sometimes contradictory) meanings of personal relations between scholars. At the same time, it explores how such meanings shape practices that end up influencing the direction of the institutional and national internationalization process. Whether academics see the internationalization of their careers and disciplines as an strategic step towards consecration within the rules of the game or as a ethico-political stance to deal with pressing socio-political issues of their societies, personal bonds appear as crucial elements because they seems to be the basic unit of articulation between different national scientific systems and institutions.

Author

• Leandro Rodriguez Medina, Universidad de las Americas Puebla