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<p>Although China hails its ranking as the world’s largest scientific research output and the continuous improvement in global university rankings, scant attention has been given to the experiences and struggles of Chinese scholars, especially the lived experiences from different generations. Drawing upon field theory and the theory of generations, this research explores the life stories of scholars, highlighting the interplay of generation, social class, and gender in producing scholarly outputs. More specifically, this study employs a qualitative approach to delve into the narratives of social science scholars across China’s elite universities, uncovering generational differences in academia over a six-year period. Findings reveal that the 1990’s scholars are surviving and passive, while the 1980’s and 1970’s scholars strive to make a living in academia. The 1960’s scholars are the most productive group, while enjoying most resources and reputation. We emphasize the importance of a generational perspective in understanding the academic field. These insights offer a nuanced understanding of the survival and sustainability strategies of academics in a rapidly changing scholarly environment, potentially guiding universities in resource distribution among diverse generational cohorts.</p>

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Understanding the academic field in China: a four-generation portrait

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年5月10日

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  • Weishan Miao,
  • Jiankun Gong

摘要

Although China hails its ranking as the world’s largest scientific research output and the continuous improvement in global university rankings, scant attention has been given to the experiences and struggles of Chinese scholars, especially the lived experiences from different generations. Drawing upon field theory and the theory of generations, this research explores the life stories of scholars, highlighting the interplay of generation, social class, and gender in producing scholarly outputs. More specifically, this study employs a qualitative approach to delve into the narratives of social science scholars across China’s elite universities, uncovering generational differences in academia over a six-year period. Findings reveal that the 1990’s scholars are surviving and passive, while the 1980’s and 1970’s scholars strive to make a living in academia. The 1960’s scholars are the most productive group, while enjoying most resources and reputation. We emphasize the importance of a generational perspective in understanding the academic field. These insights offer a nuanced understanding of the survival and sustainability strategies of academics in a rapidly changing scholarly environment, potentially guiding universities in resource distribution among diverse generational cohorts.