ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book introduces some of the tensions between globalisation trends and the reaction of local and regional communities to the convergences of time, space and new communication cultures. It explores the relationship between a kind of localised higher education (HE) and the indirect economic benefits of responding to new contexts for building social capital. The book explains the relationship between the discourses of social capital, citizenship and identity which can define and exclude the local in the interests of the global. It also explains how Muslim women of Pakistan and Indian heritage have formed identities and roots in locations which have resulted from multiple generational journeys. The book looks in particular at the gender status of social capital and citizenship with its implications for economic accountability.
