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This paper provides an analysis of the literature on transnational education to identify the key challenges and success factors for the sustainable operation of transnational higher education (TNE) programmes as perceived by key stakeholders. Probing the stakeholders' perspectives and applying a systematic approach, this study analyses 227 English-written articles retrieved from the Web of Science database published from 2000 to 2021. Key challenges identified include difficulties in managing the TNE programmes, ensuring quality assurance, adapting the curricula to the local contexts, accommodating offshore students' learning styles, creating studying environments for TNE students equivalent to those in the home institutions, ensuring preparedness of the academic staff, and facilitating the knowledge transfer in the host countries. The analysis also highlights six factors for the sustainable development of TNE programmes, including the effectiveness of the operations, the internationalization of the curricula, the transnational experience of the students, the development of the transnational staff, the existence of a proper regulatory framework in the host countries, and the development of a global systematic data collection for quality assurance. In addition, the evidence collected suggests that while the transition from domestic into a foreign programme can be rewarding, it demands appropriate planning and implementation.

This paper aims to explore the potential of using dialogue between intersectional and pragmatist theorising of transactional social relations. By considering tensions within intersectional research, a position is developed which utilises a mutual constitution approach to intersectional theory and the dynamic, ongoing, complex social relations captured in pragmatist theorising. It is argued that from this position race and ethnicity become actions in which, for example, Whiteness and Brownness are defined in ongoing relation to each other. Example data from a pilot study, designed to explore experiences of campus life, is analysed using this action sense of race. The 'Racing' of experience within the data identifies how Whiteness and Brownness become constituted through a Male, South Asian, Muslim student's experience of studying sport. Whiteness in this context becomes secular, partying, and sporty-bravado-competitive, while Brownness is supressed Islamic, working not to perpetuate crude Brown-Muslim stereotypes and upset convivial, post-racial discourses. It is envisaged that further data collection from student experiences of studying on the university campus will help to develop deeper insight, and importantly, dialogue about race, ethnicity and privilege.