A glocalised higher education hub in the making? a case study of Shenzhen’s higher education space
Publication Date
May 21, 2025
Creator
Abstract
This thesis examines the changing nature of Chinese higher education through the case of Shenzhen as an emerging higher education hub. The spatio-institutional transformation of the sector is characterized by increasing regional disparities and uncertain educational outcomes for students. Thus, it is both timely and necessary to examine Shenzhen as a critical case study to understand the transitions and their consequences for the sector. Drawing on empirical data, the analysis focuses on three key objectives – policy frameworks, university agency, and student experiences. Based on interviews with former policymakers and university students, as well as observations from university management meetings, this research makes three main arguments: (1) Shenzhen’s higher education landscape is shaped by a locally driven funding system and the city’s status as China’s “reform pioneer”; (2) universities respond through strategic alliances with the government and spatial-institutional fixes, embedding their spatial expansion within a China-specific policy framework; and (3) students’ learning experiences and subjectivities in Shenzhen reflect a unique “glocal” environment and a transitional space of “openness and inclusivity”. This study provides the first systematic examination of the Shenzhen case, underscoring the importance of shifting empirical focus from Anglo-American models to non-Western contexts, particularly China. I also evaluate the validity of the “learning region” within the Chinese institutional context, with a discussion of its strengths and limitations. Lastly, I discuss the use of Guanxi as a methodological tool in researching Chinese elites, emphasising the importance of socio-cultural sensitivity in qualitative research specific to context.
Item Type
ethesis
Thesis Type
PhD
Supervisors
Subjects (LC)
Associated Schools / Departments
School of Geography
eprints ID
81071
UoN Repository URI
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PhD Thesis - final version.pdf
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Full-text
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Examined. Final amended version
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9.42 MB
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