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Language Policy as a Channel of Inclusion for Researchers in the Internationalized University
Full text linkInternationalization has increased diversity in Finnish universities, yet the meaningful inclusion of international faculty remains challenging. This study examines how institutional language policies shape the professional integration of international researchers, highlighting tensions between national language protection and internationalization rationales. Through interviews and document analysis, the findings reveal structural barriers limiting participation, including unclear expectations, inadequate support, and the perceived low professional value of national languages. The study critiques a narrow approach to diversity, arguing for comprehensive support systems - like peer networks and workplace‐based language opportunities - and policy reform that fosters genuine inclusion. Framing language policy as a negotiated space shaped by habitus, community, and power, the study calls for institutional changes prioritizing collaboration and engagement with linguistic diversity
The Invisible Architects of Public Engagement: Understanding the Different Types of Roles Played by Parliamentary Staff
Full text linkAlthough public engagement has become a cornerstone of modern parliamentary functions, the role of parliamentary staff in shaping it remains largely neglected and understudied. Whilst the literature acknowledges that staff have been key in the development of public engagement in legislatures, we do not know in what ways. This oversight neglects a crucial aspect: the administration of parliament is not just a backdrop but the very foundation of a functioning parliament, being particularly noticeable and significant within the realm of public engagement, as a relatively recent activity for parliaments beyond their traditional functions of legislation, scrutiny and representation. This paper addresses this gap by uncovering the hidden contributions of parliamentary staff in the development of public engagement strategies. We adopt an interpretive qualitative research approach, drawing on 37 semi-structured elite interviews with officials and MPs of the Parliaments of Austria, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Through thematic analysis, we develop a novel typology that identifies six roles staff play in parliamentary public engagement: Institutional Innovator, Knowledge Facilitator, Strategic Decision-Maker & Coordinator, Guarantor of Institutional Legitimacy, Operational Manager and Evaluator & Monitor. Crucially, we also explore the enabling and constraining factors - from political will and institutional structure to administrative resources - which shape how these roles are enacted. Our analysis shows the pivotal part these six roles play in navigating the complex interplay between the political and the non-political dimensions of a parliamentary setting, which have been crucial to push forward the agenda of public engagement within legislatures
Early Career Researchers as Stakeholders in University Decision‐Making in Europe: Comparative Perspectives
Full text linkThe voices of academics have traditionally been strong in university decision‐making bodies, where they participated in the shared governance of the university. It has been customary for senior academics to be represented in managing bodies and to exercise control over the key areas of strategy, finance, quality assurance, study programs, and/or human resources. With the new public management reforms that have swept through higher education (HE) systems, the power of academics has been reduced, while managerial guidance has increased, alongside the fostering of universities' institutional autonomy. At the same time, the power of other stakeholders, such as students or industry representatives, has also been increasing as part and parcel of the governance reforms, albeit to different degrees and at different paces across various HE systems. In this context, this article seeks to examine the role that early career researchers (ECRs) play in university decision‐making bodies across different countries as internal stakeholders. The research is based on seven case studies from seven European and East Mediterranean countries drawing on documentary data and 55 semi‐structured interviews with ECRs and 14 managers, carried out in 2023-2024. Following stakeholder categories distinguished on the basis of their legitimacy, urgency, and power, this article investigates the extent to which ECRs perceive their voices to be heard. The findings show variance between the case studies regarding formal representation, with most universities in the study having limited representation of ECRs in university and faculty/school‐level decision‐making bodies. The voices of ECRs, however, are heard in informal ways
Embracing Paradox Realities: Racially Minoritised Women and Gender‐Based Violence in Higher Education
Full text linkAlthough universities often adopt diversity and inclusion policies, the everyday experience of employees indicates multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination. This article discusses how institutional norms and practices reinforce power structures and stop those experiencing intersectional discrimination from voicing their experiences of gender‐based violence in higher education. We employ the frameworks of "everyday racism" and "network silence" to analyse 12 interviews with racially minoritised women who experienced gender‐based violence in academia and one bystander. Our findings challenge the assumption of universities that gender‐based violence and racial discrimination are marginal concerns. The interviews point to institutional factors that generate, coerce, and support silence. They reveal a paradox combination of dynamics of hypervisibility and invisibility, structural barriers, institutional practices, discriminatory attitudes, stereotypes, and prejudices as factors contributing to silencing, othering, and marginalisation within academia. Women from ethnic minorities and marginalised groups demonstrate both self‐silencing and the deprivation of their agency and voice due to cultural normative expectations. We conclude by exploring alternatives to promote transformational change that considers intersectional and multiple forms of discrimination. We suggest what change agents in higher education institutions can do to hear unheard voices and reduce the long‐standing multiple disadvantages faced by intersectionally marginalised groups.Die Studie behandelt Erfahrungsberichte von Sexismus und Rassismus aus dem Arbeitskontext von Wissenschaftler*innen. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung weisen darauf hin, dass in einem Umfeld voller hierarchischer Strukturen und Machtungleichheiten, wie es in Hochschulen zu beobachten ist, die Normalisierung geschlechtsbezogener, homophober und rassistischer Stereotype und Vorurteile zu einer alltäglichen Praxis wird. Diese Normalisierung trägt gleichzeitig zur Entstehung und Manifestation geschlechtsbezogener Gewalt bei
Intersectionality at German Universities: Empowering Teaching Staff as Change Agents With Higher Education Didactic Workshops
Full text linkThe increasing diversity at German universities has been accompanied by the demand to widen participation among all groups of students. This challenges higher education teaching, requiring learning environments that acknowledge diverse experiences and needs. While diversity‐sensitive approaches have been the dominant response, they often address single diversity dimensions in isolation, neglecting intersectional interdependencies and structural power relations. An intersectional perspective, however, shifts the focus to power dynamics, knowledge production, and inclusive educational practices. This article argues that such an approach has a good potential to enable lecturers and students to become change agents by fostering critical thinking, reflective agency, and ethical commitment to dismantling systemic inequalities. This is particularly challenging in the German higher education system, where critical, antidiscriminatory pedagogical perspectives are mostly limited to certain disciplines. At the same time, the teaching staff enjoy extensive teaching autonomy, which provides them with freedom for individual engagement in this area. Therefore, implementing intersectional approaches in teaching requires targeted educational interventions that support teaching staff. Building on the concept of intersectional pedagogy, we introduce a case study of a higher education didactic workshop that was designed to raise awareness of intersectional perspectives in teaching. The findings highlight the potential of such workshops to influence teaching practices and promote the engagement of disciplinary teaching communities with intersectionality. This article concludes by discussing the implications for further developing workshop concepts and empowering teaching staff and students as agents of change within the German higher education system
Achieving Inclusion: University Staff Working in Third Space Between Academic and Professional Spheres of Activity
Full text linkThe article reflects on the case of staff employed on academic and professional contracts in UK universities who work in areas of activity that are not aligned precisely to either domain, sometimes referred to as “third space.” Examples are given of academic staff on teaching‐only contracts and people employed on professional contracts in educational and research development roles. Although such individuals are likely to be highly qualified, with a master’s or doctoral qualification, teach and, in some cases, undertake research, they occupy territory in the university that often lacks formal recognition. This is particularly so in relation to the legitimacy of their roles and parity with academic colleagues who undertake mainstream teaching and research and contribute to the UK Research Excellence Framework. Despite increasing commentary on the existence of these roles by practitioners themselves, institutions have been slow to accord them legitimacy in terms of, for example, dedicated space in institutional structures, appropriate professional development opportunities, career paths, or promotion and assessment criteria. Such individuals are therefore liable to feel excluded from the mainstream, even though they may be making a significant contribution to academic endeavours. Examples are offered of the extent to which individuals are able to achieve recognition at both a personal and collective level, and suggestions are made as to practical ways in which universities might accord this group of staff greater visibility, and thereby reduce the cultural, and implicitly hierarchical, divide between them and academic colleagues with an extended teaching and research profile
Views of Women Doctoral Students and Dropouts on Doctoral Education in Türkiye
Full text linkCountries must adapt their higher education systems to address the demands of 21st‐century knowledge societies. Türkiye, a developing country (OECD, 2025), ranks 48th in the Human Development Index (UNDP, 2022). Despite improvements, gender inequality remains a significant issue in Türkiye, with women often dropping out of educational programs due to household and caregiving responsibilities (Conger & Long, 2010; Gür & Bozgöz, 2022; Quinn, 2013). This study explores the experiences and challenges of women in doctoral education, highlighting their roles as change agents in higher education. It presents the views of ten current women doctoral students and ten dropouts from various programs of public universities in Türkiye. The study's qualitative research captures diverse perspectives by including voluntary participants who were single, married, or divorced; with or without children; and employed outside academia. Data collected from in‐depth semi‐structured interviews were thematically analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the participants' experiences and perceptions. Two themes were identified through IPA: (a) challenges, which include the imposition of traditional roles, financial constraints, and unconstructive relationships with faculty members or advisors, and (b) the need for constructive relationships, defined by support from faculty, advisors, and peers. Suggestions for support mechanisms are also discussed
Amplifying Player Experience to Facilitate Prosocial Outcomes in a Narrative-Based Serious Game
Full text linkThe rise and development of serious games have shown promise in addressing critical social issues, including school bullying. However, prior work often compares game-based interventions with the conventional non-game approach, failing to generate insights about which game features should be emphasized to create more effective games. To bridge this research gap, in light of video games' advantages for creating immersive experiences that benefit persuasion, we created a narrative-based serious game addressing school bullying and conducted two studies (Study 1, N = 130; Study 2, N = 250) to explore the persuasive effects of two game features, respectively player–avatar similarity and in-game control, on player experience (including player–avatar identification, narrative engagement, and empathy) and prosocial intention. We found mixed results subject to player perspective such that only when players took the bully's perspective did one of the game features - in-game control - successfully create the intended empathy via amplified narrative engagement toward the desirable prosocial intention
NS-Provenienzforschung in Norddeutschland: Lokalspezifische Kontexte bei Raub, Verbringung und Verkauf von Kulturgut
Full text linkDie Provenienzforschung spielt eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Erforschung der Herkunft und Geschichte von Kunstwerken, historischen Dokumenten und kulturellen Artefakten. Sie ermöglicht es, die Geschichten hinter diesen Objekten zu verstehen, die oft eine komplexe Vergangenheit und eine Vielzahl von Eigentümern durchlaufen haben. Von Fallstudien über kritische Einblicke in Sammlungen bis hin zu rechtlichen Aspekten und ethischen Fragen bietet dieser Band einen Einblick in die vielfältigen Dimensionen der Provenienzforschung im norddeutschen Raum am Beispiel von Raub, Verbringung und Verkauf des Kulturguts der vom NS-Regime Verfolgten
Migrants' Participation and Migration Governance Amidst Hostility in Small Localities: An Italian Case Study
Full text linkIn this article we examine how small and medium‐sized towns address migrants' participation amidst hostility. To do so, we focus on a small town in central Italy. We scrutinise two dimensions of participation - visibility and agency in policy‐making - and connect them to specific forms of hostility towards migrants that can arise in small communities. We also consider how changes in the social fabric and political discourse can overcome and subvert such hostilities. By exploring the case vertically (involving institutions) and horizontally (involving civil society actors), we analyse local migrants' participation in light of political transitions and changes in the local government's attitude. We focus in particular on how and whether migrants are granted space in the planning and implementation of integration and participation policies across different periods in a small town in central Italy. This case highlights substantial policy transitions that shape migrants' involvement in local life and set boundaries on their engagement. The article, which is based on qualitative research conducted within the EU‐funded project PISTE—Participation in Small and Medium‐Sized Towns: Experiences, Exchanges, Experiments, relies on policy analysis and 17 semi‐structured interviews with policy‐makers and civil society actors. The results show that political discourse on migration affects perceptions and practices of hostility in regard to migrants and the forms of visibility assumed by migrants' participation in small and medium‐sized towns. When participation is politically hindered, everyday practices of visibility (such as being visible in public spaces) assume political significance. The presence of "bridging figures" is crucial for facilitating the transition from an adverse to a more inclusive political environment, enhancing participation by specific migrant groups. However, reliance on such bridging figures and personal relationships can be a double‐edged sword. It can promote participation, but it may confine it to individual interactions rather than foster broader migrants engagement