‘Projecting the Nation(s)’ Through International Student Recruitment: Image, Power and Politics in Multinational Federations

In an increasingly competitive global environment, the cultivation and projection of national images have become central features of international diplomatic activity. Governments are increasingly preoccupied with projecting positive images in their bid to attract foreign investments, tourists as well as international students. The recruitment of international students has become one of many areas through which ‘images of the nation’ are promoted and communicated externally. In their efforts to enhance their attractiveness as worthy ‘study destinations’, governments are engaged in strategies to project their nations’ identities. Such strategies are however, challenged in cases of multinational societies. This paper offers a critical reflection of image projection processes occurring in multinational federal systems- where sovereignty over the recruitment of international students is shared and where ‘competing’ images of ‘nation’ can be found. Highlighting the case of Canada/Quebec, the paper examines the manner in which distinct images are promoted through international education policies. The study asks; what are the motivating forces behind the development of education ‘images’(or brands) in Canada and Quebec? What images of the ‘nation’ are promoted through the Canadian and Quebecois international education strategies? And how do these diverge/converge? Through a critical examination of policy documents surrounding international student recruitment, the study advances the theorisation of majority/minority tensions in multinational societies by emphasising how these are manifested in the global arena. The focus on international education for external image promotion also informs our understanding of the role of the university sphere for international diplomacy, underscoring the innate geopolitical interests involved in higher education policy today.