Intersections between Lusophony and Education in the Portuguese Press: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Internationalization, anchored in the idea of competitiveness in a global knowledge-based economy is one of the driving forces of the higher education reforms in Europe. At a time of economic crisis, internationalization is fundamental to attracting students and promoting the institution on a global scale. For Portugal, the ‘Lusophone space’ emerges as a preferred market, legitimized by political, economic and cultural rationales linking the ideas of ‘lusophony’ and education. In this paper I critically examine how the Portuguese press (comparing the weekly newspapers ‘Expresso’ and ‘Sol’) reconstruct these discourses on lusophony and internationalization.