Internationalisation of higher education in Central Asia: A systematic review

Despite the growing literature on higher education internationalisation in Central Asia, such literature remains unexamined for its criticality. Our systematic integrative literature review helps address this lacuna. The article utilises critical internationalisation perspectives to examine the extent to which the literature on internationalisation in the region addresses the critical questions currently dominating the internationalisation discourse globally. We analysed 56 peer-reviewed journal articles published in English between 2012 and 2022 to address the following themes: 1) internationalisation as Westernisation, 2) internationalisation and the modernisation of the university, 3) internationalisation equals Englishisation, and, 4) internationalisation and the recreation of unequal relations. We assert that the the published work does not promote the reimagination of dominant patterns of relationship, representation, and resource distribution. By providing a systematic review, we hope to have helped academics, researchers, students, administrators, and policymakers reflect upon and reimagine internationalisation practice.