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Intertwining of Academia and Officialdom and University Autonomy: Experience from Tsinghua University in China

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Abstract

This article is a case study of Tsinghua University, one of China's most influential universities, which has special national significance and strong political ties to the state. Recalling three chapters in the past century of Tsinghua's history, this paper gives an interpretive understanding of how the intertwined relationship between academia and officialdom has acted as a double-edged sword in shaping the University's autonomy. It shows an interesting interplay between the university and the state, revealing the mechanisms of the state's control over the university, and the strategies adopted by the university to gain relative freedom. The article concludes by explaining how, in the context of China, an individual university can contend with the state's power to strive for its own autonomy.

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Acknowledgements

This article is based on the writer's PhD thesis, submitted to The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Education in December 2003. She expresses her gratitude to Dr Wing-Wah Law for his helpful comments and constructive ideas that inspired and refined this article. However, the writer alone is responsible for any mistakes in it.

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  1. Faculty of Education, Wah Ching Centre of Research on Education in China, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, SAR, China

    Su-Yan Pan

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Pan, SY. Intertwining of Academia and Officialdom and University Autonomy: Experience from Tsinghua University in China. High Educ Policy 20, 121–144 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300149

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