Boston College: Open Journal Systems
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Beyond the Social Contract: Power, Right, and State in Spinoza's Political Philosophy
Get PDFThis paper examines Baruch Spinoza’s political theory and its evolution from the Theologico-Political Treatise to the Political Treatise. Spinoza’s mature political philosophy rejects the notion of a voluntary transfer of power central to Hobbesian contractualism, instead grounding political authority in power relations and the passions. By exploring Spinoza’s metaphysical stance on power and natural right, the paper contrasts his ideas with Hobbes, arguing that civil society is a natural extension of human interaction instead of a rational, contractual agreement. Ultimately, Spinoza’s theory offers a compelling philosophical alternative to traditional social contract frameworks
Echoes of Empire: Impacts of French Colonial Legacy on Identity, Immigration, and Integration Policies
Get PDFThis paper investigates how France’s history of colonialism has shaped France’s immigration and integration policies to understand how colonial ideologies can guide policies that shape national identity and social groups. By understanding the historical context and development of France’s colonialism, from the French Revolution to postcolonial migration data, it can be found that France’s self-image as a place for liberty contradicts its poor treatment of immigrants from colonies. Therefore, this research underscores that marginalized immigrants are affected by assimilationist and multiculturalist policies, institutional memory, and racism. The paper also briefly interrogates how the European Union’s commitment to national sovereignty and unexamined colonial legacy prevents it from influencing France’s approach. Ultimately, the paper offers a solution: only by confronting the myths of universalism and actively addressing the colonial roots embedded within its immigration policies can France achieve true reconciliation and equity
Colonial Legacies of Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis of Hong Kong and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Get PDFThis paper asserts that divergent methods of colonial governance, as exemplified by Britain’s liberal imperialism in Hong Kong and Belgium’s extractive imperialism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have ultimately led to contrasting cases of economic growth. In Hong Kong, the British style of rule fostered good governance through the essence of democracy and upheld a successful blend of laissez-faire and intervention-when-necessary market conditions. In turn, from 1960 to 1995, Hong Kong’s average annual GDP per capita grew at a rate of approximately 6.3%. On the other hand, Belgium’s rule of the DRC only sought the complete control of the colony’s people and natural resources for the purpose of financial gain. This resulted in Congo’s average annual income per capita declining at a rate of -2.6% from 1953 to 1997. I will ultimately determine the economic impacts of these two colonial histories through a consideration of various models of economic growth
The University-Science Model and Global Megascience: 100 Years of Advancing Research
No full textGlobal megascience highlights the transformative role of universities in driving global knowledge production through collaborative scientific networks. Rooted in the twentieth-century educational revolution and the global diffusion of the “university-science model,” universities evolved into pivotal research hubs, reshaping science beyond national borders. Since 1900, scientific output and collaboration have accelerated across disciplines and regions, exemplifying how research networks advance discovery and tackle global challenges. However, questions about the sustainability of megascience remain
30 Years of International Higher Education, a Field of Study and a Publication
No full textOver the past 30 years and 123 issues of International Higher Education, both the world and higher education have changed enormously. The publication has both followed these changes and made adaptations to them, but, in essence, its guiding principles, as well as its unique position, have remained the same
National–Global Upheavals are Destabilizing Higher Education
No full textAmid growing nativism and migration resistance in Western politics, coupled with geopolitical conflict between the United States and China, the local and national identities of Anglophone and European higher education institutions are increasingly in tension with their global activity and commitment to cross-border cooperation based on academic freedom
Knowledge Battlegrounds: Navigating Security Imperatives in Global Academia
No full textThis paper explores the interplay between academia and geopolitics, revealing how universities have become battlegrounds for national security interests. The paper unveils four dimensions: security-driven internationalization constraints, the allure of global talent mobility, the digital espionage in academic settings, and the politicization of knowledge. In a world of intensifying rivalries, the article presents urgent questions about preserving academic freedom amid competing national desires in a context where higher education is crucial for development and innovation
Embracing Complexities: Transformations of International Student Mobility amid Global Turmoil
No full textAlthough scholarship on international student mobility (ISM) is extensive, the evolving landscape of ISM, with increasingly diverse rationales, actors, and modalities, requires new data and forms of understanding. This article reflects on the new developments in ISM in the context of postpandemic and geopolitical turmoil. We conclude by urging scholars to engage in critical examination of the dominant theories and concepts informing our understanding of mobility.