The internationalisation of higher education in the Global North typically prioritises income generation, knowledge flows, and attracting skilled workforce. In contrast, Türkiye adopts a distinct approach, aligning its strategies with a developmentalist political economy that leverages religious, historical and anti-colonial narratives across the Global South. This article explores how Türkiye conceptualises international higher education at the state level to promote South–South cooperation, with the aim of building solidarity and resistance against enduring and neo-colonial structures. Through an analysis of state-led discourses, this article examines how narratives of history, faith, and fraternity shape Türkiye’s relations with the Global South, and inform a universalist vision of the nation with affective orientations. These alignments reveal the potential for an alternative model of international higher education—one that advances self-reliant, sustainable development and fosters more multilateral cooperation among developing and low-income nations. • International higher education serves as a part of an infrastructure for Türkiye’s global engagement strategy. • Türkiye leverages higher education to build self-reliant, sustainable development cooperation across the Global South. • Türkiye’s higher education fosters South–South cooperation through historical ties, faith, and anti-coloniality. • Affective mechanisms adopted in Türkiye’s international higher education landscape aim to fuel solidarity and unity across the Global South. • Southern epistemologies are essential for understanding relational frameworks in South–South engagement through higher education.
Ayse Gur Geden (Sat,) studied this question.