Academic Diaspora and the Rise of Transnational Repression in International Higher Education

This chapter critically examines the evolving environment of international higher education, focusing on the increasing transnational repression of academic diaspora by authoritarian states. Higher education studies on state-diaspora relations have focused primarily on national policies and programs to induce academic diaspora to contribute to national development. However, a darker aspect of state engagement with academic diasporas, especially in authoritarian regimes, has been under-investigated; these regimes often extend their ‘engagement’ into governance through surveillance, coercion, intimidation, and violence. Drawing on political science and international relations literature and illustrative cases, this chapter examines the motivations and strategies behind transnational repression of academic diaspora with a focus on surveillance. It reveals how geopolitical tensions, and the rise of global authoritarianism are reshaping state interactions with ‘their’ academic diaspora, with increasing evidence of transnational repression, particularly surveillance. Such actions challenge the normative liberal values associated with international higher education, impacting on academic freedom and intellectual exchange. Ultimately, this chapter seeks to draw attention to these actions, the challenges they raise, and stimulate research and reflection on international higher education in a multipolar world marked by intensified geopolitical and inter-state tensions.