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Internationalization of higher education (IHE) has become one of the most prominent strategies in national policies and universities' agendas during the past three decades. IHE provides numerous benefits to nations, institutions, and higher education stakeholders and plays a vital role in improving the quality of education and research. However, it is difficult to argue that all countries equally benefit from IHE; that is, power inequalities between countries in the world are reflected in universities' efforts and outcomes regarding internationalization. To analyse the effects of national boundaries on IHE, this article presents qualitative research conducted in two European countries: Poland and Turkey. Thirty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted with international office professionals. The results revealed that IHE in Poland and Turkey, as examples of peripheral countries in terms of IHE, is restricted by political instability, economic impotency and socio-cultural legacies. These factors lead to a nation-bounded internationalization experience for higher education institutions and individual stakeholders in both countries. The results also revealed some differences between the two countries and it is argued that decentralized internationalization strategies designed based on nations' unique characteristics are needed to drive the progressive values of IHE forward.

The internationalization of higher education (IHE) has become a key policy issue for governments, a research field for scholars, a strategic priority for universities, and a career orientation for administrative staff. Yet, with recent social, political, and economic trends heavily embellished by globalization and neoliberalism, the term IHE has resulted in conflicting perspectives. Although there are numerous analyses on IHE, these analyses seldom focus on conflicts among different constituencies of the university (leaders, academics, administrative staff). This study aims at exploring the perspectives of key constituencies on the common conception and practice of IHE. The study was designed as basic qualitative research in which the data set was collected from four flagship universities in Türkiye. The results indicated a variety of academic, economic, political, and socio-cultural conflicts by different constituencies. These conflicts are mostly related to the association of IHE with neoliberal values while the progressive values remain invisible.