Branding and internationalization of higher education in an unrecognized state through sports: the Women Basketball Team of Near East University in Northern Cyprus

This article aims to address the internationalization of higher education through sports in an unrecognized state by examining the role of the Near East University (NEU) Women’s Basketball Team in building and consolidating the brand of the university. Drawing on the bourgeoning literature on internationalization and branding of the higher education institutions through sports, the article highlights the strategies of the universities in unrecognized states in overcoming the barriers exerted not only by intense competition in the global setting but also by the unrecognized status of the states in which they operate. Through the in-depth analysis of a particular case, this article presents the dilemmas and obstacles faced by the higher education institutions in unrecognized states in coping with the challenges emanating not only from the changing landscape of higher education in a global world but also from the unique context of non-recognition and international ostracisation. Focusing on the achievements of the NEU Women Basketball Team towards overcoming the limitations and embargoes deriving from the unrecognized status of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the article asserts that the universities can internationalize even in the absence of active state support by specializing in areas such as sports, which can further highlight their distinctiveness. Therefore, the article concludes that the internationalization of the universities is linked to but not dependent on state support. In fact, in certain cases the universities can facilitate the internationalization of states and nations rather than mutatis mutandis.