Lost in the noise? Narrative (re)presentation of higher education and research during the Brexit process in the UK

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article investigates how the considerations on higher education and research have been narratively represented in a public domain in the process of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. Having adopted the general orientation of the discourse-historical approach to discourse analysis, the study surveys the narrative (re)presentation of research and higher education issues during three key phases of the Brexit process: 1) the pre-negotiation period; 2) the stage of Article 50 negotiation, and 3) the transition period. With the public domain restricted to higher education institutions (especially British universities) on the one hand, and the UK Government on the other, this inquiry helps us understand how the actors have employed specific narratives in order to create meaning and influence (and potentially change) the impact of Brexit on academia.