Mutuality in engaged North–South transnational higher education partnerships: The case of Kenya

Abstract

The quality of transnational higher education partnerships (THEPs) has increasingly come under scrutiny with the growing role of higher education in development. Mutuality has emerged as a key focus of this examination. We seek to understand how mutuality is expressed within North–South THEPs that have a major focus on community engagement. We refer to THEPs with this focus as engaged transnational higher education partnerships (ETHEPs). This study is based on a secondary analysis of extant literature on one ETHEP based in Kenya. A thematic content analysis revealed that celebrated outcomes of mutuality included capacity building, institutionalization, collaborative relationships and solidarity around community engagement. Challenges to mutuality were related to structural and cultural differences, self-sustainability and equity. A discussion of findings is followed by possible questions to guide inquiry toward strengthening mutuality in North–South ETHEPs.