Higher Education in Asia and the Search for a New Modernity: An Introduction
Résumé
No region has undergone as profound a transformation as Asia during the past halfcentury,from the 1970’s to the present. The unprecedented economic growth has drivenmajor social and demographic changes and institutional reforms and, in most countries,has brought about greater political stability. The advent of a large middle class, coupledwith the openness driven by economic imperatives, has contributed to greaterinterconnectedness among Asian states and between them and the rest of the world.Higher education was not estranged from these dynamics. On the contrary, at a timewhen economic growth seems to be related to knowledge production and advancedskills, Asian governments and citizens expect higher education institutions (HEIs) tocreate the conditions for the development of their countries and to train the future generationto be innovative and creative and to pursue sustainable growth [First paragraph]