Hegemony and the politics of education in Hong Kong: from the post-war era to the post-handover era

ABSTRACT

The process of Chinese nation-building in education reveals the hegemonic strategies of the colonial power and the adaptation of indigenous forces when Hong Kong was undergoing decolonisation and the transfer of sovereignty. The return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty has been a crucial indicator for the potential re-unification of China, as it presents a model for the possible future reintegration of Taiwan. The idea of hegemony applies to different dominant groups in the two periods under review. In the first period, London attempted to influence the development of groups in Hong Kong and incorporate them into the colonial programme. In the second period, Beijing attempts to influence groups in Hong Kong facilitate the reintegration of Hong Kong into a larger Chinese identity. Yet, it is far too simple to picture a unilateral exercise of power by an identifiable centre and consider the periphery as mere objects of successful manipulation by the centre. Continued study of the evolution of nation-building in education, under the influence of a series of complex and shifting factors of the Hong Kong society, will be enlightening for the comprehension of the ever-changing and increasingly complicated political culture.

KEYWORDS:

• History of education
• colonial power
• Chinese State and education
• Hong Kong studies
• hegemony and education

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to Prof. Stephen Chiu Wing Kai & the reviewer for their advice and comments on earlier drafts of this paper. All errors and omissions are those of the author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Lord Wilson Heritage Trust.

Notes on contributors

Tracy Chui Shan Lau

LAU, Tracy Chui-shan, Tracy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Studies at the Hong Kong Baptist University. She is interested in history of education, state, identity and education, museum education and fieldtrip learning. She has published widely in prestigious journals, including Oxford Review of Education, Asian Survey, China Report, and Educational Research for Policy and Practice.