ABSTRACT

Why have regimes and societies that would otherwise argue for their distinctiveness and sovereign decision-making caught ‘ranking fever’ in HE? Why are they willing to give up their sovereignty in the field of HE, and why do they accept the requirement of homogeneity to succeed in global university rankings? This paradox is explored in the case of Russia. The ranking discourse is analysed at the national and institutional levels using interviews, documents, and media materials. The impetus to ‘internationalise’ education and research, and the aspiration to be globally ranked, is explained using the status, neoliberal competition and state control frames. These conflict with ‘nationalisation’ part of the discourse, manifested in the resistance to global university rankings and the debates surrounding a Moscow-based ranking. These debates confirm that there is a willingness to internationalise and integrate Russian HE into the neoliberal model of HE on Russia’s terms in preference to self-isolation.

摘要

为什么本来会为自己的独特性和主权决策而争论的政权和社会在 HE 中陷入“排名热”？为什么他们愿意放弃在HE领域的主权，他们为什么接受同质化的要求才能在全球大学排名中取得成功？在俄罗斯的案例中探讨了这个悖论。排名话语是在国家和机构层面使用采访、文件和媒体材料进行分析的。“国际化”教育和研究的动力，以及成为全球排名的愿望，都可以用地位、新自由主义竞争和国家控制框架来解释。这些与话语中“国有化”部分的冲突体现在对全球大学排名的抵制和围绕莫斯科排名的辩论中。