East Asia Workshop: Politics, Economy and Society Presents

 

Cramming a Way Out: The Organizational Transformation of Shadow Schools in China

Le Lin

Ph.D Student Department of Sociology

University of Chicago

 

4:30-6pm, Tuesday

February 25, 2014

Pick Lounge, 5828 South University Ave.

 

Abstract
Coming out of the working draft of my dissertation proposal, this presentation aims at clarifying the research questions and generating hypotheses that can guide my fieldwork. My dissertation project investigates the organizational transformation of Chinese shadow schools from 1980 to 2010. A chronology of the changes at the institutional and organizational field level is delineated in the first place. Based on this chronology and other organizational level data, I show that this field which used to abound exclusively with small ‘fruit flies’ schools has transitioned into one in which a few leading brands play influential and even dominant roles. Several leading schools have evolved into new organizational forms of large bureaucratic for-profit and even publicly-traded corporate groups. My research question, therefore, is why, given the unfavorable institutional environments, formerly charismatic and patriarchic leader and teachers and especially star teachers’ resistance to bureaucratization and threat to the survival of schools, the new organizational form emerged. A short literature review is provided and relevant alternative explanations are discussed. I propose my hypotheses and research design at the end.

 

Workshop website: http://cas.uchicago.edu/workshops/eastasia/

Student coordinator: Junyan Jiang (junyanjiang@uchicago.edu)

Faculty sponsors: Dali Yang, Dingxin Zhao and Zheng Michael Song

This presentation is sponsored by the Council on Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Center for East Asian Studies, and the Confucius Institute. Persons with disabilities who believe they may need assistance please contact the student coordinator in advance.