This chapter aims to critically examine the evolvement of internationalization research in higher education, juxtaposing discourses from the Global North and the Global South over the past decades. We specifically highlight the contributions of different authors who contributed to discourses in both these regions.

We then consider how a recent contextual definition of internationalization of Higher Education in South Africa impacts the discourse and how the stratified discourses converge. Highlighting the South African context within the broader Global South as well as the broader discourse, the authors reflect on the progress made to advance both the local and global agendas in higher education internationalization. The development of higher education theory reflects distinct regional contributions and historical contexts. Western scholars have primarily shaped the conceptual foundations of internationalization, while scholars from the Rest of the world have focused their theoretical contributions on decolonization, or on decolonial perspectives. While all regions participate in global scholarly discussions, their distinct perspectives emerge from their particular historical and current contexts.