Curriculum writers remaking Malaysia's higher education space: Internationalising or transnationalising dual degree programs

Dual degree programs between Malaysian with British universities are growing apace in Malaysia. Are they ‘national’, ‘international’ or something new? This study investigates the making of cross-border dual degrees and their effects on Malaysia’s higher education. Focusing on how curriculum writers navigate the social, cultural and political contexts framing Malaysia’s higher education, multiple ‘opposites’ and conflicts are revealed. With curriculum writers’ work and connections going beyond national borders, findings indicate an emergent ‘transnationalism’. Malaysia’s higher education is neither strictly national nor international. Instead, transnationalism highlights the 'hybrid' complexities of local contexts entangling with global higher education shifts.