Beyond borders: faculty agency and the making of the greater bay area higher education space
研究粤港澳大湾区高校教师短期跨境流动如何塑造高等教育空间，发现三种空间形态，并揭示教师通过能动性创造超越政策规划的混合空间，对关注跨境合作的高校管理者有参考价值。
This study explores the spatial dynamics of higher education (HE) integration in China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA), focusing specifically on short-term cross-border academic mobility. Informed by Lefebvre’s (1991) spatial theory and Marginson’s (Citation2022b) glonacal agency heuristic, a mixed-method convergent design was employed, integrating infrastructure and funding statistics, policy documents, and interviews with cross-border faculty. Findings identify three clear spatialities shaping the GBA HE space: innovation-oriented spatiality, mainland-inclined integration spatiality, and integrated everyday-life spatiality. These spatial configurations are influenced by global, national, and local forces. In response, academics engaged in reflexive practices across multiple scales, using their agency to navigate and reshape the space, creating hybrid spaces that transcended top-down planning. The study contributes to the global discourse on academic mobility and cross-border collaboration in HE, demonstrating how scholars’ mobility can transform a policy-driven HE integration into a more adaptable, collaborative, and inclusive environment. The findings offer valuable insights for other regions prioritising cross-border HE collaboration, particularly those seeking to balance local development with global aspirations.