Patterns of Relationships in North-South Higher Education Partnerships: A Pathway to Mutuality

Abstract

This study explores the patterns of relationships in the North-South higher education partnerships, focusing on the experiences of the Southern partner in two cases of partnerships between universities of Ethiopia and Norway. The study employed a comparative case study, based on interviews with 40 participants (staff and students) and document reviews. Accordingly, the study maps out the formation and functioning of the partnerships, along which, compares the two cases vis-à-vis the positioning of the Southern partners. Then, it concludes that North-South higher education partnerships could be shaped not only by the structural factors but also by context-embedded factors, which are valued for challenging the problematic consequences of the inherent asymmetries and, thus, for opening up pathways to mutuality.