The contemporary internationalization of Canadian higher education promotes the
formation of North-South (N-S) partnerships to facilitate access to new research sites and
opportunities for international programming. International service learning (ISL) is a
particularly popular pedagogy and model to engage North American university students
in global learning opportunities. This study conceptualizes N-S ISL partnerships as an
extension of one high education institution’s internationalization policy. In the current
context of tertiary internationalization, there is a reliance on higher education to produce
economic benefits to support national economic objectives. There are particular concerns,
however, with a practice of N-S ISL partnerships that are enacted within communities
located in the Global South. Internationalization policy does not adhere to the principles
of N-S partnerships outlined in OECD multilateral agreements and in a context where
higher education internationalization is increasingly focused on the production of
economic returns from investment in partnerships projects, local interests are
subordinated. This research focuses on the enactment of a specific N-S ISL partnership
in Tanzania to consider the effects of higher education internationalization on local
communities. It raises critical concerns for a socially just practice of international
partnership.