Impact of Globalization and Transculturalism on University Education: An Anthropological Study of International Students' Exchange Programs

Abstract

Globalization and the spread of technology have created a global village. To study how the globalized education is shaping and being shaped by the exchange of different cultures and ideas is the need of the hour. The existing scholarship largely presents the views of the western authors and the few studies that have been conducted in the context of globalization and education but none of them address the topic of globalization and education specifically with reference to student exchange programs especially in Pakistan. This thesis delves into the intricate relationship between globalization and education through an anthropological examination of student exchange programs in Pakistan. By leveraging ethnographic research conducted with Pakistani exchange students, the international students who have come to Pakistan, and the teachers who have taught the international students. This work investigates how these programs influence participants' self-perceptions, community understanding, perspectives on the globalized world and how the teachers view and adapt to teaching in the globalized world.Twenty seven (27) respondents (teachers, Pakistani and international students) were interviewed for the purpose of this study and the data was analysed through the thematic qualitative data analysis technique usingWorld System Theory, Hybridity Theory and Soft Power Theory as a major theoretical guide. The present study has revealed that even though the mainstream narrative portrays only the merits of studying in a foreign country but in fact the students face major challenges while studying in a foreign educational environment. Most of the literature written and the testimonials available on the internet by the students who visitedforeign country do not tell about the hardships faced and the views about globalization which have been uncovered and discussed in this study in detail. The students shared that their overall experience could have been made better by the host universities. Even though the teachers claimed that the students were facilitated and had no problems the students told otherwise. The present study has revealed that although most of the teachers and students viewed globalization favourably but still some of the student and teacher who participated in the study were of the view that globalization does have downsides and we have to be careful and vigilant about what we let into our culture and what we do not.