TOWARDS A WORLD DISCIPLINE: INTERNATIONALIZING TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE IN UNIVERSITIES IN MAINLAND CHINA AND HONG KONG

Abstract

THIS STUDY IS DRIVEN BY PROBLEMATIZING THE TENSION BETWEEN THE PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE EMBEDDED NATURE OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE. IT EXPLORES HOW THE IDEOLOGY AND NORMS OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSMISSION AND PRODUCTION OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE (TCM) HAVE CHANGED TO ADAPT TO THE INTERNATIONALIZING INSTITUTIONAL SPHERES. I DEPLOY A NEO-INSTITUTIONAL LENS AND COMPARE THE DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF TCM DISCIPLINE IN THREE UNIVERSITY CONTEXTS IN MAINLAND CHINA AND HONG KONG. QUALITATIVE METHODS (SEMI-STRUCTURED IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW AND PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION) ARE ADOPTED TO INVESTIGATE THE CURRICULUM MODIFICATION, RESEARCH REORIENTATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESTRUCTURING. RESEARCH FINDINGS POINT TO THREE INTERNATIONALIZATION MODELS OF THIS LOCAL DISCIPLINE, REFLECTING DIFFERENT TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL ADAPTATION TO THE CHANGING PLURALISTIC INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT WITH COMPETING RATIONALES. THIS DISSERTATION CONTRIBUTES TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW A LOCAL KNOWLEDGE SYST