Educational illusion and the moral politics of hope among rural left-behind children in China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11167367 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Cheng Zhang (0009-0002-0231-8971, Police Department), Ruyang Li (0009-0008-2991-294X, School of Marxism, Zhejiang College of Security Technology), Li Ruyang (Zhejiang University of Technology, corresponding author), Li Chan (0000-0002-8734-5137, Zhejiang University of Technology) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-14 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Journal of Sociology of Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0142-5692 • E-ISSN: 1465-3346 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01425692.2026.2642915 |
| OpenAlex | W7135368464 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 31 |
This qualitative study examines how rural left-behind children in China navigate schooling as both promise and constraint. Drawing on multi-modal data from 36 participants across two rural counties and analysed through thematic and critical discourse approaches, the study conceptualises educational illusion as a three-part configuration: promise, a moralised hope shaped by family obligation; misrecognition, meritocratic discourse that individualises structural inequality; and disillusionment, an affective recalibration expressed through powerlessness, guilt, and subtle resistance. The findings show how ordinary motivational talk organises emotions and narrows horizons under unequal conditions, highlighting implications for classroom discourse, caregiver communication, and equity-oriented policy design.
China · Ethnography · Ideology · Illusion · Political socialization · Politics · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Critical and Liberation Pedagogy · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |