Publication of the book “Global University Rankings and the Politics of Knowledge”

The book Global University Rankings and the Politics of Knowledge, edited by Michelle Stack (University of Toronto Press 2021), addresses the lack of empirical research behind university and journal ranking systems. Chapters from internationally recognized scholars in decolonial studies provide readers with robust frameworks to understand the intersections of coloniality and Indigeneity and how they play out in higher education. Contributions from diverse geographical and disciplinary contexts explore the political economy of rankings within the contexts of the Global North and South, and examine alternatives to media-driven rankings. This book allows readers to consider the intersections of power and knowledge within the wider contexts of politics, culture, and the economy, to explore how assumptions about gender, social class, sexuality, and race underpin the meanings attached to rankings, and to imagine a future that confronts and challenges cognitive, environmental, and social injustice. (Text extracted from the description on open.library.ubc.ca)

The chapter “Unfolding National Approaches to University Rankings in Central Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America” reviews the evolution of national university rankings and identifies trends across three world regions and was written by Creso Sá, Nadiia Kachynska, Magdalena Martinez, and Emma Sabzalieva, who is a UNESCO IESALC Senior Policy Analyst.

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