How Is “Serving the Nation” Articulated? — The Construction of Patriotic Discourse and the Gaps in Policy Implementation in China’s Elite Science Talent Programs

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 4:15 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Fractured Narratives, Contested Policies: Critical Analyses of Power in Education

Abstract

This study examines China’s elite science talent policies through critical discourse analysis, focusing on how patriotic excellence is constructed in policy texts and enacted in university practices. Analyzing 12 policy documents and interviews with 52 students from two “Double First-Class” universities, the study reveals that: (1) the political mission of “serving the nation” often turns into academic pressure; (2) students experience tension between moral duty and personal choice; (3) these tensions reflect the complex relationship between excellence discourse and affective governance, highlighting fractures between the state, universities, and students. The paper critiques nation-centric excellence regimes and contributes to global discussions on emotional politics, performative nationalism, and identity.

Authors

• Sun xiaoxiao, Peking University

• Daozheng Li, Xiamen University