Reframing the European Higher Education Agenda through an “EU-as-Empire” Perspective: Toward Decolonial and Pluriversal Futures

This article examines the European Union’s (EU) higher education initiatives, particularly Erasmus+ and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), through an “EU-as-empire” perspective, revealing how policies framed as cooperation and modernization often reproduce normative imperialism and soft colonialism. While promoting compatibility, transferability, mobility, and exchange, these frameworks embed Eurocentric epistemologies, hierarchical governance, and conditionalities that privilege EU states, marginalizing peripheral and non-EU partners. Participation typically requires alignment with pre-set European norms, sustaining a civilizing logic under the guise of partnership. Such asymmetries consolidate the EU’s position as a soft hegemon in the global knowledge economy. Adopting a decolonial perspective, the article calls for pluriversal approaches grounded in reciprocal norm-setting, equitable resource distribution, and recognition of diverse knowledge systems. In doing so, it challenges prevailing narratives of EU benevolence in education and outlines pathways toward more just, pluralistic forms of transnational collaboration.