Third Culture Universities: Hybrid Sociolinguistic Fields, Hidden Language Hierarchies, and Artificial Intelligence in Transnational Higher Education

This article critically examines the rise of Third Culture Universities (TCUs), a concept to describe international campuses that emerge from Transnational Education (TNE) partnerships between universities in different countries, aiming to blend diverse educational systems and cultures. Such TCUs, often driven by Western academic expansion, conceal persistent power imbalances and sociolinguistic inequalities. These become more apparent as campuses grow, transform, and translate language, learning, and communication. Consequently, this article seeks to utilise Bourdieu’s concepts of 'capital', 'habitus', and ‘symbolic violence’ to explore how these universities drive English-language curricula and Eurocentric standards. This, then, creates grounds for resistance and contested challenge. Employing a postmodern methodology for analysis, the article draws upon a conceptual analysis integrating sociological and sociolinguistic lenses to suggest that TNE partnerships perpetuate social reproduction, making true ‘internationalisation’ remain elusive. The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), by international students to navigate these challenges and supplement language skills, offers one way forward, we contend. However, such a practice fails to address structural inequality. We conclude by highlighting, therefore, opportunities for resistance and reflexive change in these ‘hidden fields’ of TNE, whilst reframing the role AI will play in shaping power, and practice in academic partnerships.