Meritocracy and Its Discontents
Anxiety and the National College Entrance Exam in China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19983444 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zachary M Howlett (0000-0003-0015-001X, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Pages | 288 |
| Publication date | 2021-04-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | BOOK |
| Venue | Meritocracy and Its Discontents (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Cornell University Press (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.7591/cornell/9781501754432.001.0001 |
| OpenAlex | W4231950099 |
| ISBN | 9781501754432 |
| Open Library | OL29535290M |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
This book investigates the wider social, political, religious, and economic dimensions of the Gaokao, China's national college entrance exam, as well as the complications that arise from its existence. Each year, some nine million high-school seniors in China take the Gaokao, which determines college admission and provides a direct but difficult route to an urban lifestyle for China's hundreds of millions of rural residents. But with college graduates struggling to find good jobs, some are questioning the exam's legitimacy — and, by extension, the fairness of Chinese society. Chronicling the experiences of underprivileged youth, the book illuminates how people remain captivated by the exam because they regard it as fateful — an event both consequential and undetermined. The book finds that the exam enables people both to rebel against the social hierarchy and to achieve recognition within it. It contends that the Gaokao serves as a pivotal rite of passage in which people strive to personify cultural virtues such as diligence, composure, filial devotion, and divine favor
China · Diligence · Hierarchy · Legitimacy · Meritocracy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social hierarchy · Sociology · Chinese history and philosophy · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology · Achievement tests · Education · Entrance examinations · Gaokao (Educational test) · Social aspects · Universities and colleges
| Citations per year | 2.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |