Stichwort: Internationalisierungsprozesse und Elitebildung

Processes of internationalisation are not a novel phenomenon: they have been present since the beginning of human history and have been the subject of theories and analyses since the early days of social-science research. This article highlights (1.) the social pre-conditions of historical and current processes of trans-regional communication and exchange, and argues that (2.) these conditions were not superseded but reinforced by the rise of nation states and their international relations. They are based on processes of cultural standardisation, differentiation and competition, which also fuel and transform elite formation and elite competition. (3.) With the emergence of international organisations in the wake of World War II, historical processes of international standardisation and competition were extended to national education systems. (4.) National education systems are currently witnessing a transformation which originates partly from the competition between national and international elites, and partly from new dynamics in international migration.