SCIENTIFIC IMPERIALISM IN THE GLOBAL EDUCATIONAL SPACE*

Iuliia Gudova
Ms., Ural Federal University, Russia, jgudova@mail.ru

Abstract

In the modern world, countries are fighting for primacy in the international arena in the field of culture, including the field of science. One of the important aspects of this process is the competition of scientific discoveries and the quality of education. Dominance in the field of science is called scientific imperialism by researchers. It consists of formulating the development’s vectors of science and education by scientific and educational centers. They carry out meaningful scientific research, set trends in the periphery and science — they are the vanguard of modern science. Such centers can be situated in the countries where the concentration of leading in the international universities rankings ones is much higher than in other countries. This fact characterizes the situation of external imperialism in the international arena. Within the framework of internal imperialism, separate university centers can be distinguished in the territory of a certain country that performs leading functions.

In the education system, there are a number of factors that determine the credibility of the university. Along with scientific schools and traditions, the conversion of scientific discoveries into grants and awards, and polyculturalism and multilingualism are important factors in the dominance of universities. Polycultural and the multilingual environment are created by attracting foreign students and teachers. The higher the quality of research and educational programs at the university, the more attractive it is for foreign citizens. If a significant number of citizens of other countries choose not their local universities, but a foreign university, we can assume that this educational institution is authoritative in the scientific and educational environment and has established itself as a significant scientific and educational center that dominates in a certain area and accumulates the best scientists and applicants. The greater the number of foreign students in a university, the higher it is in the ranking of universities. Consequently, the university’s level of development in multilingualism and polyculturalism is closely connected with the degree of its internationalization, as well as the level of dominance in the system of scientific (cultural) imperialism.

Thus, a university can become a Center for Scientific Dominance, provided that it defines educational standards and offers unique educational programs, many citizens of other states want to study at this university, it determines promising scientific topics.

Keywords: scientific imperialism, cultural imperialism, polyculturalism, multilingualism, scientific and educational center, university.

 

*The reported study was funded by RFBR according to the research project No: 17-29-09136.