There is an argument that higher education is in its essence international, however the current focus and prevalence of higher education internationalisation (if not in action, then at least in rhetoric) is a comparatively novel phenomenon (de Wit, 2020). Taking into account the development of the field over the past 30 years, internationalisation research remains Western European driven, in content as well as in disseminating a certain understanding of internationalisation (Bedenlier, Kondakci, & Zawacki-Richter, 2018). It stands to reason that an open higher education system that Western Europe enjoyed in the second half of the 20th century influenced the development of that understanding of internationalisation as well as its prominence in international research.

Before 1990, in the other side of the iron curtain, in Soviet-occupied Central and Eastern Europe, however, there was a different internationalisation. The Soviet regime used the term ‘friendship of nations’ to refer to a somewhat superficial cultural exchange focused on non-threatening ethnic customs that was loosely linked to education. The word ‘internationalisation’, on the other hand, was used to denote policies that purportedly intended to bring the entire Soviet Union together by embracing the common way, while in actuality it was used to further the russification agenda (Grybkauskas, 2013). Actual exchange in higher education or education research was limited even among the member countries of the Warsaw pact and the Soviet Union (Zelvys, 2015).

The vastly different experiences and understandings of internationalisation came into contact after 1990 when the Central European countries left the Warsaw Pact and the Baltic states regained their statehood and independence. While their precise education reforms may have been different, all these countries were led by a common desire to ‘catch-up to Europe’ (Dakowska & Harmsen, 2015). Internationalisation (in the Western understanding), thus, was embraced and universities in Central and Eastern Europe become active participants in the early 2000s. As current research shows, the notion of internationalisation is rarely defined or re-defined in the scholarly publications of Central and Eastern Europe (Orechova, 2021). When implementation is concerned, a certain reluctance emerges in the shape of what Leisyte et al. (2015) aptly named ‘symbolic compliance’: formal conformity with the new regulations is maintained, yet, the measures are re-contextualised in different ways depending on the experiences and everyday practices of the academic staff, the type of institution and the discipline they represent. That is, the system does not undergo any change, just a slight recalibration and whatever internationalisation means is somewhat hidden in the translation.

This proposal, therefore, endeavours to investigate the construction of the concept of internationalisation in Central and Eastern Europe after 1990 by analysing the internationally published scholarly works on Central and Eastern European education from 1990 to 2000. Central to the analysis is the notion of concept as “a concentrate of several substantial meanings” (Kosseleck, 2004, p. 85) from the study of Conceptual History (Begriffsgeschichte). This analysis is primarily concerned with a particular academic discourse in a relatively non-distant past. This brings forth the importance of discourse. We maintain that discourse is organised around concepts (Ifversen, 2003) and acknowledge the increasingly conceptual nature of discourse (Krzyżanowski, 2016). Thus, we assert that both discourses and concepts are not just representations of social reality but also its constituents. The proposed research aims to critically interrogate the usage of ‘internationalisation’ in scholarly work to elucidate upon the various layers of meaning of the concept as it was being introduced into the scholarship of Central and Eastern Europe after 1990.

The methodology of the proposed research largely follows the guidelines of Conceptual History. The methods include close reading and analysis of scholarly work published internationally on education in Central and Eastern Europe over the period from 1990 to 2000. The data sources consist of publications indexed in international education databases Education Source (EBSCO) and Central & Eastern European Academic Source (EBSCO) on the topic of education in Central and Eastern Europe. The selection criteria include the mentioning of Central and/or Eastern Europe or any of the countries in the region in the publication title as well as referring to internationalisation or the word ‘international’ in the abstract. To elucidate the findings of the analysis, a semantic field of internationalisation will be constructed. A ‘semantic field’ in Conceptual History refers to a visual representation of the layered meanings of the concept in question. It includes concepts that define the concept under examination (paradigmatic field of reference), concepts that describe and clearly delimit the concept under examination (syntagmatic field of reference), concepts that describe the roots, causes and the intended practice of the concept under examination and the systematic opposites (functional antonyms) of the concept. The time period of 1990 to 2000 is chosen because it is primarily a period of alignment and reflection with regards to education scholarship in and about Central and Eastern Europe, especially with regards to internationalisation. In the early 2000s countries of the region get substantially more involved in international cooperation, boosted by the European Commission funding related to EU membership and it is already the time of doing rather than considering what needs to be done. In essence, by the early 2000s internationalisation has entered the higher education discourse of Central and Eastern Europe and the primary focus is on implementation rather than conceptualisation. The period from 1990 to 2000 provides an opportunity to interrogate the notion while it is still being adopted and see what layers of meaning are given to it and what are potentially removed as it is transferred from Western Europe eastwards.

Since concepts play a significant role in how we perceive and interact with our daily reality, the way(s) in which we understand a concept affect how we bring that concept to life, especially, if it is a concept with very tangible dimensions, such as that of internationalisation. As the interest to internationalise grows across the world, a deeper understanding of what internationalisation is constructed and understood to be can provide insights for further development of internationalisation across the world. When complex concepts such as internationalisation and its implementation are considered, the discussion on what elements exactly are included in the semantic field of the concept is essential to its successful implementation. Joining the debate on internationalisation and similar terms used in higher education, Whitsed and Green go as far as to say that “the act of renaming “internationalization” is a demonstration of <…> agency in the context of uneven distributions of power across the contested storylines of internationalization” (Whitsed & Green, 2014, p. 107). It stands to reason that an in-depth discussion on what internationalisation is and means in the context of Central and Eastern Europe would benefit the higher education research and practice across the region. Moreover, it can foster meaningful reflection among the research communities across Europe as to whether one part needs to follow another, or is a more equal distribution of power can be considered instead.

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