Boundary-Work and Discipline Construction: Boundary Strategies to Institutionalize Guoxue as a Discipline and Its Failure

Abstract

The construction of knowledge boundaries is an important mechanism in the formation of disciplines. This article examines and analyzes boundary strategies and difficulties in the institutionalization of guoxue (“national studies” or “Chinese classics”) as a discipline in recent years from the perspective of boundary-work. To establish guoxue as a discipline, proponents of the discipline have proposed the knowledge strategies of “new guoxue” and “broad guoxue,” so as to dispel potential conflict between guoxue and the external political environment. In addition, in the construction of the discipline, proponents have emphasized the differences between Chinese and Western scholarship, and also made analogy to Western Sinology, to highlight the necessity of constructing a holistic “discipline of guoxue.” However, these strategies and efforts have not achieved the objective of building guoxue as a discipline. One important reason is that guoxue studies are, to a very great extent, embedded in Chinese literature, Chinese history, Chinese philosophy and other related disciplines. The knowledge boundaries between guoxue and these disciplines are fuzzy, and the construction of the discipline lacks driving force from daily research practices. The process of to build a guoxue discipline can contribute to reflect on the existing discipline governance system in mainland China.

Keywords:

• Construction of disciplines
• discipline
• guoxue
• knowledge boundaries

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Valuable comments were provided by Dr. Mao Dan of Shanghai Normal University and two anonymous reviewers, to whom I would like to express my thanks and gratitude.

Notes

2 For example, see; Liang Shu, Ji Baocheng, Gu Hailiang, Xu Xianming, Zhu Chongshi, “Gai bu gai wei guoxue shang hukou” (Should guoxue be registered), in Guangming ribao (Guangming Daily), Dec. 21, 2009: 12; Liang Shu, Ji Baocheng, Gu Hailiang, Xu Xianming, Zhu Chongshi, “Guoxue xueke ke cong shidian zuoqi” (The discipline of guoxue could begin with a pilot program), in Guangming ribao, Dec. 28, 2009: 12; Jiao Guocheng, “Zengshe guoxue wei yiji xueke hen you biyao” (Adding guoxue as a first-tier discipline is quite necessary), in Guangming ribao, Sept. 13, 2010: 12; Liang Tao, Chen Lai, Huang Pumin, Wu Guang, Gong Pengcheng, Zhu Hanmin, Wu Genyou, “Guoxue shi yi men xueke” (Guoxue is a discipline), in Guangming ribao, Oct. 12, 2009: 12; Liu Zehua, “Guanyu guoxue ‘xueli,’ ‘yiyi’ ruogan lundian de qingjiao yu zhiyi (shang)—yu liu jiaoshou, si xiaozhang shangque” (Seeking advice on and questioning certain arguments on the ‘principles’ and ‘significance’ of guoxue (part I)—discussions with six professors and four principals), in Guangming ribao, Apr. 8, 2010: 4; Liu Zehua, ““Guanyu guoxue ‘xueli,’ ‘yiyi’ ruogan lundian de qingjiao yu zhiyi (xia)—yu liu jiaoshou, si xiaozhang shangque” (Seeking advice on and questioning certain arguments on the ‘principles’ and ‘significance’ of guoxue (part II)—discussions with six professors and four principals), in Guangming ribao, Apr. 15, 2010: 4; Liang Tao, “Lun Guoxue yanjiu de taidu, lichang yu fangfa—ping Liu Zehua xiansheng wangquan zhuyi de ‘guoxue guan’” (On attitudes, positions, and methods in guoxue research—a critique of Mr. Liu Zehua’s absolutist ‘view on guoxue’), in Guangming ribao, Dec. 7, 2009: 12.

3 As of the present, there have been 4 versions of the catalogue with different names, respectively including the 1983 Gaodeng xuexiao he keyan jigou shouyu boshi he shuoshi xuewei de xueke, zhuanye mulu (shixing cao’an) (Catalogue of disciplines and majors for the conferral of doctoral and Master’s degrees at institutions of higher education and scientific research institutions [provisional draft]), the 1990 Shouyu boshi, shuoshi xuewei he peiyang yanjiusheng de xueke, zhuanye minglu (Catalogue of disciplines and majors for the conferral of doctoral and Master’s degrees and graduate student training), the 1997 Shouyu boshi, shuoshi xuewei he peiyang yanjiusheng de xueke, zhuanye minglu (Ibid.), and the 2011 Xuewei shouyu he rencai peiyang xueke mulu (Catalogue of disciplines for degree conferral and personnel training); in this paper, these are generally referred to as the Catalogue of Disciplines.

4 This paper carried out anonymization of the interviewees. “A” represents individuals who participated the revision of the Catalogue of disciplines or participated the revision of undergraduate majors; “CC” represents scholars and students associated with guoxue, and the numbers represent the interviewee’s code. The interviewees’ detailed information is as follows: A1—a leader of the Revision Committee of the Catalogue of Disciplines in the Humanities, professor; A2—a secretary of the Revision Committee of the Catalogue of Disciplines in the Humanities; A3—a secretary of the Revision Committee of the Catalogue of Disciplines in the Humanities; A4—Important member of the Revision Committee of the Catalogue of UndergraduateMajors, professor; CC1—a postdoctoral research fellow in the school of Chinese Classics at a “985” university of higher education; CC2—a doctoral candidate researching Confucianism at a “985” institution of higher education; CC3—a doctoral candidate at a “985” university, who studied at the Renmin University School of Chinese Classics for his undergraduate and Master’s degrees; CC4—a master student at the Renmin University School of Chinese Classics; CC5—a doctoral student at the Institute of Chinese Studies at Peking University; CC6—an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at a “985” university; CC7—an assistant professor at the guoxue school at a “985” university; CC8—an undergraduate student majoring in guoxue at a “985”university; CC9—a professor at a “985” university.

5 From Interviewee A1.

6 From Interviewee A5.

7 From Interviewee A2.

8 From Interviewee CC9.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lin Yaqiong

Lin Yaqiong is an assistant professor in the School of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan.