International Mobility and Knowledge Exchange Between China and the West - A Study of Chinese Humanities and Social Sciences Scholars

Oct 15, 2026

This study examines how international academic mobility shapes knowledge exchange between China and the West, focusing on humanities and social sciences. Using qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, the research shows that Chinese HSS scholars benefit from international visits, conferences, and collaborations, gaining understanding of Western culture and knowledge. It also identifies risks, including intensified global knowledge asymmetries and uncritical adoption of Western paradigms, while highlighting efforts to enable two-way exchange through cultural reflexivity and greater global visibility.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Design/Approach/Methods

Findings

Introduction

International Mobility and Knowledge Exchange Between China and the West: A Study of Chinese Humanities and Social Sciences Scholars Yuting Shen (沈裕挺) The University of Hong Kong ECNU Review of Education 2024, Vol. 7(4) 905–925 © The Author(s) 2024 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/20965311241242143](DOI: 10.1177/20965311241242143)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/20965311241242143)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This study examines the impact of international academic mobility on knowledge exchange between China and the West, including its potential beneﬁts and risks, speciﬁcally in the humanities and social sciences (HSS) ﬁelds. Design/Approach/Methods: This study employed qualitative research methods; speciﬁcally, data were collected through interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: With increasing knowledge ﬂows in global academia, Chinese HSS scholars are beneﬁting from international academic mobility. They engage in various activities, such as international visits, conferences, and research collaborations, and praise the role of mobility in building an understanding of Western culture and knowledge, including research dynamics, embodied and encultured knowledge, and location-speciﬁc textual materials. However, international mobility has inadvertently exacerbated global knowledge asymmetries, with some Chinese scholars uncritically adopting Western paradigms. Nonetheless, pioneering Chinese HSS scholars aim to promote a two-way knowledge exchange between China and the West by fostering cultural reﬂexivity and enhancing their global visibility. Corresponding author: Yuting Shen, Room 401, Runme Shaw Building, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Email: [yvetteshen@cuhk.edu.hk](yvetteshen@cuhk.edu.hk) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as speciﬁed on the SAGE and Open Access page ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Originality/Value: Chinese HSS scholars serve as an illuminating example in the context of global knowledge asymmetries dominated by the Anglo-American West. These ﬁndings have theoretical and practical implications for fostering equitable and inclusive knowledge exchange between Western and non-Western societies through international academic mobility. Keywords Chinese and Western cultures and knowledge, global knowledge asymmetries, international academic mobility, internationalization of higher education, knowledge exchange Date received: 28 May 2023; revised: 5 November 2023; accepted: 2 January 2024 Introduction Globalization has brought about a growing interconnectedness of social, cultural, economic, and political forces around the world (Giddens & Sutton, 2017); this has positioned scholars at the intersection of knowledge ﬂows, creating an unprecedented situation. In an era of intense intellectual exchange, knowledge workers need to constantly learn from and understand others. However, the global dissemination of knowledge ﬂows has remained uneven (Altbach, 1987; Li & Yang, 2020) . The Western knowledge system, primarily regulated by Anglo-American institutions, has a clearly superior position in global knowledge production. Academic centers located in Western societies determine academic paradigms and control the majority of intellectual resources, whereas peripheries in non-Western societies can only follow the Western lead in global discourse (Altb

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose?

The study examines the impact of international academic mobility on knowledge exchange between China and the West, focusing on potential benefits and risks in the humanities and social sciences.

How was the research conducted?

The research used qualitative methods, collecting data through interviews and analyzing them with thematic analysis.

What benefits does the study identify for Chinese HSS scholars?

Chinese HSS scholars benefit from international academic mobility through activities such as international visits, conferences, and research collaborations, which support understanding of Western culture and knowledge.

What risks and challenges does the study highlight?

The study finds that mobility can exacerbate global knowledge asymmetries, including some scholars adopting Western paradigms uncritically; it also notes challenges shaped by dominant Western academic systems and disruptions from pandemic and geopolitical strains.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by anakgang17