The University Concept in the Geo-cultural Context: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

Sources of Western civilization often promote the concept that the University of Bologna, founded in 1088 and considered the world’s oldest, is a kernel of the global university tradition. Here, we challenge this egocentric concept by reviewing the educational and research achievements of often-forgotten ancient civilizations, other than those with a Western orientation. Here, we investigated issues dealing with the foundation of the medieval ”university” concept. The method was based on the digital humanities analysis of internet websites relating to the entry term "university". The search concerned nine geo-cultural civilization circles, each represented by the most relevant language. We defined the origin of the term "university,” and the names of renowned higher education institutions considered the oldest. The term ”university” has Latin roots and thus relates to the Medieval European Christendom. However, the tradition of higher education originated in institutions established in Chinese, Arabic, Hindu, and Byzantine civilizations, dating back to around 2000 BC, which long preceded medieval European universities. In conclusion, we challenge the widespread narrative that Western civilization and its medieval European universities are the sole founders of the global university tradition and historical educational advancements.