Exploring the differentiated effects of rising nationalisms and geopolitical shifts on the openness of higher education and research: a comparative view of Denmark and the UK

Recent years have seen a resurgence of protectionist ideals in political systems around the world with significant implications for higher education and research policy. This development has been characterized by a growing willingness of national politicians or governments across Europe to influence and intervene in freedom of research and universities’ ability to engage internationally strengthening the view of a binary between the "global" and "national" roles of the University in the contemporary era. While some view a trend towards an isomorphic global higher education system based on a common standardized culture (see for example Frank and Meyer 2021), others advance the notion that the global character of the University is threatened by the growing protectionist and nationalist policies in this field (see for example Douglass et al. 2021). This paper challenges the binary view of a clear tension between the global and national roles of higher education by considering their relation in recent political dynamics in Denmark and the UK. In both contexts, a rise of nationalist sentiment influences the international cooperation efforts of universities. Yet they do so in different ways. In Denmark, nationalist politics on higher education has moved in a more protectionist and inward-looking direction whereas the UK, Brexit politics seem to imply a more globally engaged nationalism rooted in the idea of British exceptionalism. The political willingness to intervene in university autonomy also manifests in other domains such as freedom of research. Since 2021, the general public in Denmark has witnessed a political offensive against so-called ‘pseudo-research’ orchestrated by national-conservative parties. In the UK, a tightening of immigration rules and departure from EU programs are significantly impacting the country’s ability to engage in research collaborations. Through a critical reading of policy documents, and political discourse in both Denmark and the UK, and interviews with policy actors, the paper sheds light on the shifting and variegated state-university relationship in Europe.