University Autonomy, the State, and Social Change in China

by Su-Yan Pan

Overview

This book explores the role of universities in responding to ongoing changes in China, and in shaping the relations between the university and the state during periods of social change. Tsinghua University is selected as a case study to inform this important issue. By tracing the changes and continuities Tsinghua has experienced since 1911, this book gives an in-depth analysis of how the university strives to maintain autonomy while taking a leading role in implementing China’s policy of higher education. By drawing on a vast literature of higher education theories, the book offers original insights into the university-state relationship and provides a new understanding on the complexities China faces in the era when the country is becoming a key global actor.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789622099364
Publisher:	Hong Kong University Press
Publication date:	03/08/2009
Series:	Education in China: Reform and Diversity Series
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Su-Yan Pan is a research assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include higher education and social change, education policy and legislation, and China education policy studies.

Table of Contents

Table and Figures vii

Abbreviations ix

Foreword xi

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Chapter 2 University Autonomy, the State, and Social Change: Western and Chinese Perspectives 7

Chapter 3 Social Change and Higher Education in China: An Historical Review (1840s to the early 21st century) 35

Chapter 4 Americanization and Localization: Tensions in Tsinghua College (1911-29) 65

Chapter 5 Sinicization, Politicization, and Democratization: Conflicts in Tsinghua University (1929-48) 85

Chapter 6 "Red and Expert": A Dilemma in Tsinghua University (1949-76) 103

Chapter 7 Market Forces and Globalization: Opportunities for Tsinghua University (1977 to the early 21st century) 127

Chapter 8 Political Crisis and Commitment: Challenges to Tsinghua University (1977 to the early 21st century) 155

Chapter 9 Towards an Understanding of Autonomy as Semi-Independence 179

Appendices 213

Notes 229

Bibliography 231

Index 257

Editorial Reviews

Su-Yan Pan has given a beautifully textured interpretive understanding of one of China’s most influential universities. She has challenged dominant assumptions of both modernization and dependency theories in the international literature, and analyzes th


“The saga of Tsinghua University is, in many ways, the story of Chinese higher education. Su-Yan Pan has provided us with a nuanced analysis of Tsinghua’s development through the lens of the struggle for autonomy. This case study teaches us much about the

From the Publisher