More than Merit- an (auto)ethnographic account of being an International student during a pandemic

Abstract

This thesis demonstrates how forces of internationalization and the ‘global war for talent’ have led to the creation of harmful exclusionary environments for International students in Utrecht University(UU), the effects of which have been exposed and exacerbated during the Coronavirus pandemic. The UU’s push towards internationalization and its policies have been akin to those of other Western universities, but the gap between its discourse and practice is highlighted by apathetic and opaque institutional processes that hinder dialogue and open communication. These questions are explored through interviews and autoethnographic material. Institutional routes of complaint procedures and the Equality,Diversity and Inclusion initiatives are explored as potential ways to raise and explore important questions regarding the inclusion of International students within the UU.