The role of the “periphery” in the development of the “center”: external forces shaping the european higher education area

Eta, E and Kushnir, I ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0727-7208, 2025. The role of the “periphery” in the development of the “center”: external forces shaping the european higher education area. European Education. ISSN 1056-4934

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Abstract

Discussions on the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) often highlight its global influence. However, the role of non-EHEA countries—the “periphery”—in shaping its development remains underexplored. This article examines how the “periphery” has contributed to the EHEA’s evolution. Drawing on world-system and decolonial theories and using critical discourse analysis of 26 EHEA documents (1998–2024), we argue that the “periphery” is not merely a passive recipient of EHEA policies but has played a key role in its construction. This argument is explored through three themes: (1) constitutive influence of the periphery on the EHEA’s external dimension; (2) historical and structural role of the periphery in the EHEA’s global status; and (3) the “periphery” as a consultative body shaping EHEA policy dialogue. Recognizing these roles challenges Eurocentric narratives and underscores the “periphery’s” agency in co-constructing global higher education. These insights are crucial for informing international policy discussions and reform efforts within EHEA signatory states and beyond. By shifting the focus from EHEA’s dominance to a more collaborative and nuanced relationship between the core and the periphery, this analysis offers a revised understanding of how global higher education is shaped beyond traditional core–periphery binaries.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	European Education
Creators:	Eta, E. and Kushnir, I.
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Date:	21 October 2025
ISSN:	1056-4934
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/10564934.2025.2569465 DOI 2518083 Other
Rights:	© 2025 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jeremy Silvester
Date Added:	24 Oct 2025 15:32
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2025 15:32
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54622

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